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ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


Entertaining  the  American  Army 


ENTERTAINING 
THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


The  American  Stage  and  Lyceum 
in  the  World  War 


■J^MES  -W.' EVANS 

Dramatiz  Ffoducer  a.tii  Coach 
AND 

CAPTAIN  GARDNER  L.  HARDING 

Attached  to  General  Pershing's  Staff  at  Chaumont 
Intelligence  Division  of  the  War  Department 


WITH     ILLUSTRATIONS    BY    NEYSA    MCMEIN 
ANITA  PARKHURST  AND  ETHEL  RUNDQUIST 


ASSOCIATION    PRESS 

New    York:     347    Madison    Avbnub 
1921 


•    •<►/•»     « 
•   •     •     tt 


Copyright,  192  i;  by 

The  International  Committee  of 

Young  Men's  Christian  Associations 


RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 

TO 

All  Those  Who  Served  as  Entertainers 
WITH  the  American  Army 


9657C3 


FOREWORD 

No  doubt  every  book  published  should  have  a  dedica- 
tion to  the  public,  for  by  them  it  will  be  read  and  by  them 
judged,  but  in  presenting  this  particular  history  in  narra- 
tive form,  one  must  realize  that  while  it  may  bring  much 
interest  to  the  general  reading  public,  it  belongs  by  its 
very  title  to  those  women  and  men  who  wisely  saw  the 
writing  on  the  wall  and  indifferently  turned  their  backs 
upon  their  everyday  life  with  its  creature  comforts,  never 
counting  the  cost  nor  exaggerating  the  danger,  but  gladly 
joining  the  great  crusade. 

History  repeats  itself!  But  in  this  present  book  there 
is  no  repetition — for,  search  as  we  may  through  the  annals 
of  past  wars,  we  can  find  no  precedent  for  a  work  of  this 
nature.  In  very  fact,  when  the  opportunity  came  and  the 
idea  grew  into  a  resolve,  those  who  believed  in  the  gospel 
of  recreation  realized  that  by  the  creation  of  just  this 
particular  type  of  amusement,  an  anachronism  was  being 
inaugurated.  But  by  the  very  nature  of  its  novelty  it 
found  a  hearty  response  in  the  minds  of  the  men  in  the 
camps  in  this  country  and  overseas,  and  by  its  inherent 
opportunity  for  service  it  commended  itself  to  the  women 
and  men  who  had  no  other  chance  of  showing  how  solidly 
they  stood  behind  the  representatives  of  their  country. 

From  its  very  moment  of  inception  it  carried  with  it 
the  support  of  two  men,  without  whose  whole-hearted 
assistance  it  must  have  failed — Mr.  William  Sloane,  Chair- 
man of  the  War  Work  Council  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  Dr.  John  R.  Mott,  its  General  Secretary. 
Through  its  early  stormy  days,  when  the  skeptical  and 
the  timid  hesitated  at  the  very  innovation  of  the  proposi- 
tion,  they  stood  absolutely  convinced  of  the  power  of 

Tii 


viii  FOREWORD 

entertainment,  and  by  the  very  authority  of  their  coagency 
carried  with  them  the  more  doubtful  and  hesitating. 

Where  shall  we  turn  for  an  adventure  more  novel  than 
that  imdertaken  by  those  vahant  people  who  crossed  the 
seas  that  they  might  bring  maybe  the  last  smile  to  those 
"going  over  the  top,"  that  they  might  be  perhaps  the  first 
"real  American"  girl  the  doughboy  had  seen  since  he 
sailed  from  the  land  of  Home? 

Into  the  theatre  or  the  cow-barn,  to  the  tent  or  station 
platform,  they  brought  the  gospel  of  laughter,  and  even 
while  the  shells  burst  over  their  heads  or  whizzed  by  like 
rent  cloth,  the  song  of  sentiment  soared  hke  a  wave  of 
comfort  to  tired  and  homesick  men. 

No  sympathy  need  be  extended  to  those  who  went — 
only  to  those  who  did  not  see  the  opportunity  to  get  out 
of  themselves  and  learn  the  joy  of  losing,  that  others  might 
be  the  gainers,  the  joy  of  relinquishing  a  real  money-making 
position  and  going  out  to  meet  whatever  came,  so  that 
when  the  roll  call  is  answered  they  will  not  be  ashamed 
to  answer  to  their  names. 

No  record,  however  complete,  could  tell  all  the  indi- 
vidual sacrifices  that  were  made,  or  the  story  of  the  sol- 
diers' appreciation,  but  this  volume  is  offered  as  a  lasting 
tribute  to  those  who  went,  that  their  contribution  may 
be  recorded  and  their  offering  chronicled. 

That  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  priv- 
ileged to  be  the  instriunent  through  which  this  presentation 
was  made  it  feels  duly  grateful,  for  the  recollection  of  this 
service  will  last  when  others  may  be  forgotten. 

To  each  and  every  man  and  woman  who  did  his  and 
her  part  in  this  work  and  received  an  honorable  discharge, 
this  book  carries  a  greeting  from  those  whose  privilege 
it  was  to  be  the  instrument  through  which  this  service 
was  consummated.  The  work  was  an  inspiration  and  the 
service  rendered  adds  the  only  comment  necessary. 

Thomas  S.  McLane. 


CHAPTER 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XL 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Foreword vii 

Preface xi 

The  Performers  Enter 1 

The  Men  behind  the  Scenes 6 

The  Advance  Guard  in  France 11 

The  Pioneer  Company 17 

The  Troupers  in  Action 22 

The  Ames-Sothern  Reconnaissance 35 

The  Stage  Called  to  Arms 42 

A  Message  from  France 51 

The  American  Stage  Answers 60 

A  Stock  Company  under  Fire 66 

A  Regular  American  Girl 74 

The  Over  There  Theatre  League  Enters.  ...  80 

A  Bombardment  of  Songs  and  Fun 88 

Strenuous  Days  for  the  Troupers 101 

Keeping  Step  with  the  Doughboys 109 

Pushing  Up  to  the  Front 121 

Knights  and  Ladies 134 

Two  Makers  of  Entertainment  History 143 

Spreading  Joy  along  the  Line 156 

Soldier  Shows  after  the  Armistice 164 

Broadway  Successes  on  the  Big  Circuit 180 

Famous  Casinos  in  a  New  Role 185 

Entertainment  in  Camps  at  Home 193 

Singing  Their  Way  to  Victory 201 

Enlisting  Eminent  Lectures 213 

"Movies  Tonight!" 223 

Curtain 237 

Appendix — Personnel 240 


PREFACE 

The  greatest  books  of  the  War  have  not  yet  been  written. 
While  we  now  have  contemporary  records  of  incalculable 
value,  upon  which  many  future  judgments  will  be  based, 
the  permanent  histories  of  the  conflict  are  yet  to  come. 
The  General  Staffs  of  all  the  Governments  are  now  pre- 
paring their  military  records.  The  diplomatists  have  only 
just  begun  to  write  their  memoirs.  The  time  has  not 
arrived  when  standard  works,  weighed  in  the  scales  of 
historical  perspective  and  scientific  research,  can  begin 
to  give  the  final  judgment  of  the  world  struggle. 

It  is  with  this  understanding  that  we  ask  the  privilege 
of  submitting  to  contemporary  records  a  phase  of  Amer- 
ica's participation  in  the  World  War  which  might  other- 
wise be  overlooked.  The  purpose  of  this  volume  is  to  sketch 
some  of  the  adventures  and  experiences  of  what  we  may 
term  ''our  American  troubadours,"  professional,  semi- 
professional,  and  amateur,  who  followed  our  Army  through 
the  War;  to  show  what  the  entertainers,  the  American 
stage  and  lyceum,  did  in  the  World  War;  how  they  under- 
took one  of  the  most  important  missions  in  the  struggle; 
how,  like  true  soldiers,  they  did  their  duty  to  the  end. 

While  it  is  conceded  that  this  was  one  of  the  most  effec- 
tive arms  of  the  Army,  and  it  is  generally  understood  that 
the  American  stage  and  lyceum  performed  a  great  service, 
the  magnitude  of  it  is  little  known  by  the  public.  It  is 
realized  that  the  American  stage  was  one  of  the  powerful 
forces  behind  all  the  Liberty  Loans,  Red  Cross  drives, 
and  United  War  Work  campaigns;  that  it  was  directly 
instrumental  in  raising  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars; 
that  it  recruited  the  entertainers  from  every  available 
source,    including   actors,    lyceum   entertainers,    lecturers, 


xii  PREFACE 

singers,  musicians,  song  leaders,  motion  picture  stars  and 
operators,  vaudeville  performers,  soldier  shows,  stock 
companies — all  merging  in  this  achievement,  which  re- 
quired the  organization  of  play  bureaus,  costume  and 
scenic  factories,  transportation  offices,  and  the  leasing  of 
many  of  the  most  famous  theatres  in  Europe;  that  it  en- 
rolled in  its  operations  at  home  and  abroad  more  than 
35,000  men  and  women. 

We  trust  that  the  experiences  and  anecdotes  related 
will  give  a  new  insight  into  the  hearts  and  characters  of 
our  soldiers.  Names  are  named,  not  so  much  to  honor 
individuals,  as  to  illustrate  situations.  The  problem  has 
been  to  select.  There  are  almost  endless  records  of  mirth 
and  misery,  romance  and  tragedy,  such  as  the  bards  of 
other  days  used  in  ballad  and  epic.  This  volume  is  sub- 
mitted, therefore,  as  a  tribute  not  only  to  the  entertainers, 
but  to  the  American  Army — one  more  contribution  to  the 
records  of  America's  fight  for  humanity  in  the  World  War. 

The  readers  of  this  book  are  particularly  indebted  to  Miss 
Neysa  McMein,  Miss  Anita  Parkhurst,  and  Miss  Ethel 
Rundquist,  entertainers  all,  who  have  brought  the  very 
life  of  overseas  service  into  these  pages  through  the  illustra- 
tions they  have  contributed. 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  PERFORMERS  ENTER 

*^They  have  their  exits  and  their  entrances; 
And  one  man  in  his  time  plays  mxiny  parts.** 

As  You  Like  It. 

It  is  June,  1917.  An  axis^joer^tic  old  mansion  at  31 
Avenue  Montaigne,  Paris,  is  the  ^  scene  of  the  beginning. 
This  former  palace,  with  its  mass«of,  ^iJilirg,  .qf.irr.(;rs,  and 
satin  upholstery,  is  transformed  suddenly  from  its  stately 
elegance  into  the  headquarters  of  our  troubadours;  a 
movement  through  which  those  in  America  are  to  touch 
hands  with  their  sons  along  the  battle  fronts  of  France. 
It  is  here  that  the  pioneers  start  the  plans  for  the  stupen- 
dous achievement.  Six  months  later,  we  find  the  old 
palace  unable  longer  to  hold  the  rapidly  expanding  forces, 
and  in  December,  1917,  all  the  splendor  is  left  behind  for 
a  commodious  French  office  building  at  12  Rue  d'Aguesseau. 

Let  us  climb  to  the  fifth  floor.  It  is  reached  by  a  wind- 
ing marble  stairway,  or  a  personally  conducted  French 
lift  holding  four  people.  The  building  is  unfinished  and 
unheated  and  the  plaster  is  oozing  moisture.  Mail  sacks 
block  the  hall  and  all  the  near-by  office  entrances,  since 
next  door  is  the  post  office  and  mailing  room. 

Parties  of  Americans,  just  arriving  from  "home"  or 
coming  in  from  the  front,  sweep  along  the  hallway,  hopping 
over  mail  sacks  and  struggling  with  the  knob  of  the  door 
leading  to  the  two  rooms  known  as  the  "Entertainment 
Department"  on  this  fifth  floor.  The  office  is  horribly 
crowded  and  grows  worse  week  by  week  as  the  Americans 
are  coming  on  every  ship,  climbing  the  long  staircase,  tripping 
over   their   hand-baggage,    seeking   information   regarding 


2  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

their  destinations,  demanding  to  be  sent  right  out  to  the 
front  line,  and  finally  waving  good-by  as  they  disappear 
with  their  red  permits  and  start  off  on  their  individual 
missions. 

So  great  did  the  office  and  other  activities  become  that 
it  was  found  necessary  to  move  again  to  larger  quarters  and 
take  over  a  house  on  10  Rue  de  I'Elysee — a  street  running 
from  Faubourg  St.  Honore  down  to  the  Champs  Elys^e, 
along  the  west  side  of  the  President's  palace.  The  Enter- 
tainment Department  was  housed  on  the  third  floor  and 
given  overflow  rooms  Giver,  the  stables  in  the  courtyard, 
the  driveway  leading  through  the  house  in  regular  French 
fashion. .. .  And  t\)jd  Departm^t  filled  these  quarters  and 
* 'cried  for  more." 

What  scenes  there  were  through  all  the  hours  of  the 
day  and  late  into  the  night — rehearsals,  tuning  instruments, 
trying  out  songs,  costuming,  playwriting,  all  going  on  at 
the  same  time  with  the  regular  office  routine  of  booking 
and  routing.  You  met  doughboys,  medieval  ladies,  knights 
in  armor,  and  French  widows,  hurrying  to  rehearsals,  up 
and  down  the  carved  and  frescoed  marble  stairway.  Out  on 
the  Rue  de  TElysee  big  army  trucks  were  drawn  up  to  the 
curb,  loading  and  unloading  musical  instruments,  and  the 
sidewalk^  were'  covered  with  bass  drums,  banjos,  trom- 
bones, and  violins. 


This,  then,  is  the  story  of  how  the  American  stage  and 
lyceum  sent  out  an  army  of  volunteers  which  finally  num- 
bered more  than  35,000.  It  tells  how  they  furnished  enter- 
tainment in  cantonment  and  training  camp,  in  cities  and 
towns,  in  shipyards  and  ports  of  embarkation  for  more 
than  4,000,000  men  who  at  one  time  and  another  passed 
through  the  great  war  organization  of  the  American  Army; 
how  they  followed  the  A.  E.  F.  through  the  campaigns  and 
out  to  the  battlefields;  and  how  they  fought  and  won 


THE  PERFORMERS  ENTER  3 

continuous  battles  against  a  common  enemy — gassed, 
bombed,  and  under  fire  in  the  greatest  crusade  in  the 
world's  history. 

Let  us  line  up  our  forces  for  review:  The  first  line  is 
composed  of  the  1,064  who  were  sent  from  America  over- 
seas to  France  and  the  300  recruited  from  the  French; 
the  second  line  consists  of  the  recruits  whom  they  trained 
in  the  American  Army  in  France,  4,000  soldier-actors,  who 
in  turn  coached  11,000  more  from  their  own  ranks  for 
soldier  shows;  the  third  line  comprises  the  200  trained 
song  leaders  with  their  forces  augmented  by  1,000  recruits; 
the  fourth  line  brings  the  1,500  enrolled  in  the  motion 
picture  service;  the  fifth  line  presents  the  200  lecturers 
augmented  by  500  more  recruits  and  volunteers;  the  sixth 
line  includes  the  costumers,  theatre  managers,  general 
staff,  and  transportation  service,  over  300  more — the  field 
strength  now  exceeds  20,000.  Behind  this  are  the  reserve 
entertainers  in  America,  working  in  the  home  camps  or  in 
the  War  Fund  drives,  numbering  15,000,  bringing  the 
fighting  strength  to  35,000. 

In  estimating  the  full  service  of  the  profession  in  the 
foregoing  forces,  it  is  necessary  to  mention  the  American 
theatre  owners  who  opened  their  houses  for  war  service 
in  whatever  capacity  needed;  the  actors  working  from  all 
the  stages  in  the  loans;  the  managers  delivering  personal 
appeals,  and  purchasing  bonds  in  the  millions;  the  solicitors 
working  in  the  aisles  of  the  theatres.  More  than  25,000 
theatres  (motion  picture  and  legitimate)  throughout  America 
became  the  central  points  for  all  the  organized  efforts. 

It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  huge  funds  raised  in  the 
theatres.  Such  favorites  as  Mary  Pickford,  Douglas 
Fairbanks,  Charlie  Chaplin,  and  William  S.  Hart  alone 
raised  more  than  $17,200,000  on  their  tours  through  the 
country.  It  is  further  safe  to  state  that  there  probably 
was  not  a  professional  or  semi-professional  entertainer  in 
America  who  did  not  give  his  services  either  among  the 


i 


4  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

soldiers  in  their  camps  or  at  benefit  performances  during 
the  War.  They  became  one  of  the  most  powerful  arms 
of  the  Government  and  ''did  their  bit"  in  the  true  tradi- 
tion of  the  profession. 

It  is  to  the  war  experiences  of  the  troupers  1,064  strong 
who  went  to  France,  and  their  augmented  forces,  that 
this  volume  must  largely  confine  itself,  with  occasional 
reference  to  those  who  served  at  home.  To  put  through 
this  tremendous  task  there  was  organized  the  biggest 
entertainment  enterprise  in  the  history  of  amusements: 

It  gave  109,794  separate  performances  to  the  soldiers, 
with  an  approximate  attendance  overseas  of  87,000,000 
and  more  than  40,000,000  at  home. 

It  gave  overseas  157,000  movie  shows  aggregating  over 
8,000,000  feet,  or  more  than  1,500  miles,  of  film.  The 
aggregate  attendance  at  these  movie  shows  alone  (between 
April,  1918,  and  July,  1919)  was  over  94,000,000  at  5,261 
different  places.  It  is  estimated  that  in  the  United  States 
and  overseas  the  gross  attendance  at  motion  picture  shows 
reached  210,000,000. 

It  gave  performances  by  stock  companies  and  perform- 
ances by  soldier  shows  throughout  the  area  of  the  Amer- 
ican Army. 

It  organized  four  great  ''play  factories"  which  were 
centers  for  rehearsals  and  costume  equipment.  It  im- 
provised plays  and  vaudeville  acts. 

It  provided  overseas  alone  23,000  costumes  and  ac- 
cessories, 18,000  musical  instruments,  and  450,000  pieces 
of  sheet  music. 

It  took  over  and  ran  in  the  leave  areas  and  important 
cities  behind  the  fighting  line  the  largest  circuit  of  theatres, 
casinos,  and  amusement  halls  ever  administered  under 
one  management. 


The  adventures  of  these  modern  troubadours,  if  each 


THE  PERFORMERS  ENTER  5 

could  be  persuaded  to  relate  his  own  experiences,  would 
give  a  deep  insight  into  the  most  human  side  of  the  War. 
There  would  be  tales  aboard  ship,  nights  on  submarined 
seas,  the  first  hours  ashore  at  the  base  ports,  the  journeys 
into  the  bleeding  heart  of  France,  the  last  march  on  the 
road  to  battle. 

From  trench  to  stevedore  camp,  from  the  leave  areas 
to  the  great  supply  centers,  in  dugouts,  ruined  chateaux, 
cathedrals,  barns,  village  squares,  and  trucks  backed 
against  barns,  these  couriers  of  cheerfulness  and  sanity 
and  corn-age,  the  troubadours  of  our  time,  sang  the  Amer- 
ican Army  on  to  victory,  the  splendid  consmnmation  of 
its  mission  across  the  sea. 

Throughout  the  whole  range  of  the  profession,  from  the 
Shakespearian  actor  to  the  burlesque  comedian,  from  the 
classical  singer  to  the  juggler,  the  ventriloquist,  and  the 
chalkologist,  no  one  could  set  a  limit  to  their  enthusiasm 
or  their  devotion.  One  little  jazz  soubrette,  whose  lightning 
dance  steps  brought  her  to  complete  exhaustion  after  a 
single  performance  in  America,  coming  across  a  trainload 
of  forlorn,  show-hungry  soldiers,  gave  this  amazing  dance 
eighteen  times  at  different  sections  of  the  train,  and  then 
exclaimed,  "All  right,  go  on  with  the  War!" 


But  let  us  now  observe  how  this  crusade  was  put  into 
operation  and  become  acquainted  with  the  forces  behind  it. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  MEN  BEHIND  THE  SCENES 

^^Turn  him  to  any  cause  of  policy, 
The  Gordian  knot  of  it  he  mill  unloose, 
Familiar  as  his  garter.*' 

King  Henry  V. 

The  cast  of  characters  in  this  dramatic  invasion  is  so 
great  that  if  given  in  the  method  of  the  profession  it  would 
include,  directly  or  indirectly,  every  celebrated  name  on 
the  American  stage.  It  will  be  necessary,  therefore,  to 
select  the  characters  as  they  appear  and  watch  them  in 
action,  that  we  may  judge  the  work  of  many  from  the 
experiences  of  a  few. 

It  will  be  well,  however,  to  stop  a  moment  behind  the 
scenes  and  meet  some  of  those  who  planned,  developed, 
and  kept  this  continuous  campaign  of  entertainment  in 
operation  throughout  the  War.  Here  in  America  we  find 
the  forces  of  the  Red  Triangle,  under  the  direction  of  the 
National  War  Work  Council,  as  the  motive  power  behind 
the  whole  achievement,  with  Mr.  William  Sloane,  an  able 
and  progressive  administrator,  as  its  chairman.  We  meet 
Thomas  S.  McLane,  as  Chairman  of  the  Overseas  Enter- 
tainment Bureau,  in  ^'command"  of  the  recruiting  and 
movement  of  the  entertainment  army  across  the  seas  to 
France;  we  meet  James  Forbes,  the  dramatist,  with  his 
able  lieutenant,  John  Briscoe,  in  command  of  the  forces 
of  the  Over  There  Theatre  League. 

Those  in  France,  we  find  engaged  in  the  constantly 
expanding  headquarters  described  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter. Here  is  the  ''Director  General"  of  all  the  operations 
of  the  A.  E.  F.-YMCA,  Edward  C.  Carter,  who  entered 
the  War  in  India  at  its  outbreak  in  1914,  followed  the 

6 


THE  MEN  BEHIND  THE  SCENES  7 

British-Indian  armies  into  the  campaigns  in  Mesopotamia, 
came  to  the  seat  of  operations  in  London,  and,  upon  Amer- 
ica's entrance  into  the  War,  went  to  Paris,  extending  full 
cooperation  in  any  and  every  capacity  in  which  the  organ- 
ization which  he  represented  might  be  able  to  serve. 

We  have  looked  into  the  crowded  headquarters  of  the 
Entertainment  Department,  from  which  we  found  the 
operations  of  the  Troupers  being  directed.  Here,  in  com- 
mand during  the  big  campaigns  were  a  progressive  business 
man  from  the  Midd  e  West,  Charles  Steele;  Walter  H. 
Johnson,  Jr.;  and  one  of  the  most  lovable  personalities  in 
the  whole  army,  A.  M.  Beatty,  a  man  who  probably  knows 
more  actors  intimately  than  any  man  who  went  to  France. 
With  all  these  men  and  many  more  we  shall  be  face  to  face 
in  the  coming  chapters. 

The  First  Division  arrived  in  France  in  June,  1917, 
and  settled  in  its  training  areas  around  Gondrecourt  by 
the  middle  of  July.  By  the  end  of  October  the  other  di- 
visions of  America's  first  contingent  began  to  arrive.  Within 
a  few  days  of  each  other,  early  in  November,  the  Second, 
Twenty-Sixth,  and  Forty-Second  Divisions  landed  in  France, 
and  went  into  training  quarters.  The  Forty-First  Division 
arrived  at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  by  January,  1918, 
there  were  something  over  190,000  American  soldiers  in 
France,  of  whom  about  two  thirds  were  combat  troops. 
The  Second  Division,  including  the  Marines,  went  into 
quarters  around  Bourmont;  the  Twenty-Sixth,  the  Yankee 
Division,  composed  of  the  National  Guard  units  from  the 
New  England  States,  spread  out  around  Neuf chateau; 
while  the  Forty-Second,  the  Rainbow  Division,  made  up 
of  National  Guardsmen  from  all  over  the  country,  moved 
into  the  Rolampont  Area  between  Chaumont  and  Langres. 

These  were  pioneers  of  the  commonwealth  of  fighting 
Americans  from  whom  the  world  expected  so  much.  They 
settled  in  an  area  something  less  than  fifty  miles  in  diameter 
around  the  newly  founded  General  Headquarters  at  Chau- 


8  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

mont,  occupying  in  all  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  villages 
and  towns,  strung  out  for  the  most  part  along  the  lines 
of  communication,  but  concentrated  here  and  there  in 
centers  outnumbering  the  neighboring  French  villages  five 
and  even  ten  to  one. 

Hard  work  and  indomitable  cheerfulness  carried  the 
Americans  a  long  way  through  the  almost  unrelieved  mo- 
notony of  their  routine  in  this  environment.  The  courtesy 
and  hospitahty  of  the  French  inhabitants  aided  enor- 
mously in  staving  off  homesickness  and  keeping  up  the 
spirits  of  the  troops.  But  the  American  soldier  is  the 
most  social  human  being  in  the  whole  world — and  he  soon 
began  to  realize,  amid  the  dreary  rain  and  mud  of  the  fall 
and  winter,  how  completely  he  was  cut  off  from  home. 
The  mails  had  failed.  The  leave  system  was  still  undevel- 
oped. Leisure  time  after  work  became  a  thing  rather  to 
dread  than  to  enjoy. 

Our  action  begins  here.  The  American  soldier  felt  free 
to  express  his  real  feelings — he  wanted  to  hear  American 
voices,  American  jokes,  American  laughter,  and  American 
songs,  to  see  American  girls,  American  movies,  American 
shows.  In  September  and  October,  Chief  Secretary  Carter 
had  cabled  to  New  York  urging  that  an  organization  be 
set  up  immediately  to  fill  the  demands  of  the  soldiers  for 
entertainment.  Every  army  in  the  War  had  been  forced 
to  meet  this  same  situation. 

Already  ''back  home"  in  America  the  profession  was 
beginning  to  take  up  the  call.  Hundreds  of  volunteers 
were  performing  among  the  American  camps  and  the 
ranks  soon  swelled  into  thousands.  Before  the  first  de- 
mands from  overseas  were  heard,  in  September,  1917, 
Dr.  Paul  Pierson  had  brought  a  long  experience  in  man- 
aging Chautauquas  to  the  task  of  covering  the  home  camps 
with  entertainment  troupes  and  had  established,  under 
Mr.  William  Sloane,  a  central  booking  office  in  New  York. 

The  problem  now  arose  of  finding  the  right  man  for 


THE  MEN  BEHIND  THE  SCENES  9 

the  important  task  of  sending  an  army  of  entertainers 
overseas  on  a  scale  sufficient  to  cope  with  the  vast  need 
of  the  rapidly  expanding  Army  in  France. 


One  day  early  in  October,  1917,  there  came  into  Mr. 
Sloane's  office  a  man  on  his  way  to  Washington  to  volunteer 
for  war  work.  On  Mr.  Sloane's  desk  lay  a  cablegram  from 
Paris,  reiterating  the  extreme  need  of  entertainment  for 
the  men  in  France,  which  he  handed  to  the  caller,  and 
thus  Thomas  McLane  became  director  of  what  was  soon 
to  be  the  greatest  entertainment  enterprise  in  the  world's 
history.  The  following  twenty  months  wrote  a  new  tra- 
dition into  the  history  of  America's  entertainment. 

Mr.  McLane  first  organized  a  successful  campaign  for 
"that  spare  ukelele  on  the  top  shelf."  He  searched  the 
country,  in  other  words,  for  new  and  secondhand  instru- 
ments, sheet  music,  plays,  and  sketches.  This  was  but 
one  of  his  jobs.  He  then  organized  a  '^drive''  to  reach 
every  professional  and  amateur  in  America,  to  impress 
them  with  the  need  on  the  other  side  of  every  eligible 
entertainer.  And  the  volunteers  responded  by  the  thou- 
sands— by  letters,  by  telegrams,  and  in  person — all  the 
way  from  eminent  actors  down  to  stage-struck  girls  and 
the  elevator  boy  who  wanted  to  play  Hamlet. 

From  four  to  six  every  afternoon  he  "received"  hopeful 
talent.  For  months  a  quiet  New  York  home  resounded 
to  the  clatter  of  jazz-dancing  feet,  the  wheeze  of  sax- 
ophones, the  chirping  of  lady  singers,  the  gusto  of  male 
quartets,  the  patter  of  monologuists  in  all  dialects  and 
known  forms  of  speech — all  to  save  the  soldier  from  a 
career  of  crime.  There  were  times  when  life  for  Mr.  McLane 
was  one  long  round  of  tragediennes  telling  him  wrathfuUy 
that  "The  Hun  Is  at  the  Gate,"  large  ladies  in  white  singing 
"Good-By  Sunmier"  (in  January);  and  breezy  soubrettes 
always  leaving  for  the  "Darktown  Strutters'  Ball." 


10  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

Mr.  McLane  looked  for  three  main  qualifications:  First, 
the  ability  to  entertain;  second,  a  watertight  hst  of  recom- 
mendations; and  third,  personality  as  tested  by  his  own 
instinct.  Using  these  standards,  he  traveled  out  to  Chicago 
and  Pittsburgh.  Later,  Francis  Rogers,  when  he  came 
back  in  the  spring  of  1918  from  a  six-months'  tour  of  enter- 
tainment ^^over  there,''  consented  to  trying  out  candidates 
in  his  own  home. 

All  this,  however,  was  only  the  beginning  of  the  McLane 
campaigns.  His  was  the  foresight  which  endorsed  and 
forwarded  the  plan  to  send  dramatic  coaches  to  France, 
as  well  as  actors  and  entertainers.  Thomas  Wood  Stevens, 
a  professor  of  dramatic  technique  at  the  Carnegie  Institute 
of  Technology,  and  Joseph  Linden  Smith,  a  well-known 
pageant  director,  were  the  principal  protagonists  of  this 
idea.  After  months  of  firsthand  experience  in  France, 
Stevens,  in  cooperation  with  Dean  Bossange  of  the  Carnegie 
Institute  of  Technology,  organized  at  Pittsburgh  a  short 
course  in  the  technique  of  play  directing  which  required 
but  three  weeks,  and  graduated  a  group  of  trained  people, 
who,  when  they  went  over  to  France,  stepped  into  action 
at  once  as  trained  personnel  ready  at  hand  to  put  on  soldier 
shows.  This  was  how  the  soldier  show  got  its  real  chance 
for  professional  finish  and  expert  leadership.  A  second 
course  was  all  ready  to  open  at  the  Carnegie  Institute  to 
prepare  another  group  of  directors  when  the  Armistice 
cut  across  its  plans. 

As  this  story  unfolds,  the  service  of  this  man  back  in 
America  bulks  larger.  For  many  weeks  he  was  the  link 
between  the  Army  in  France  and  the  entertainment  world. 
The  results  are  known.  The  accomplishment  is  the  more 
impressive  when  it  is  understood  that  Mr.  McLane  was 
neither  a  member  of  the  profession,  nor  a  welfare  worker, 
but  an  American  business  man  volunteer,  who  was  search- 
ing for  some  form  of  service  to  the  soldiers  when  he  was 
swept  into  the  task  by  Mr.  Sloane. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ADVANCE  GUARD  IN  FRANCE 

*^/  would  applaud  thee  to  the  very  echo 
That  should  applaud  again.'' 

Macbeth. 

The  experiences  of  the  first  American  troubadours  in 
France  begin  with  the  arrival  of  the  American  troop — 
some  four  months  before  the  crusade  "back  home"  was 
organized.  In  truth,  they  even  preceded  the  arrival  of 
Pershing  in  France. 

The  man  to  whom  the  honor  should  probably  go  of  being 
the  first  American  entertainer  to  go  "overseas"  after  Amer- 
ica's declaration  of  war  is  Jack  Barker.  This  pioneer 
arrived  in  Bordeaux  on  May  16,  1917,  six  weeks  before 
the  arrival  of  General  Pershing  and  the  first  American 
contingent.  Barker  was  a  young  college  man  just  grad- 
uated from  Northwestern  University.  He  was  sent  to 
England,  where  he  sang  his  way  into  the  hearts  of  the 
Britishers  and  got  up  shows,  not  only  for  the  Americans 
coming  through  on  their  way  to  France,  but  also  for  many 
British  camps.  His  gift  of  holding  an  audience  and  of 
conducting  a  sing-song  made  him  invaluable.  After  more 
than  two  months  in  England  he  went  over  to  France  to 
cover  the  American  camp  circuit  at  a  time  when  enter- 
tainers were  "worth  a  regiment."  With  his  "one  man 
shows"  and  his  popular  sing-songs  he  covered  the  camps 
at  Brest,  Issoudun,  Gondrecourt,  Neufchateau,  and  else- 
where through  the  American  sector.  He  was  taken  ill 
and  lay  for  a  time  in  Neuilly  Hospital,  returning  home 
to  enlist  early  in  1918. 

The  first  American  to  go  directly  to  the  American  Army 
in   France,   was  Gerry   Reynolds.     He  sailed  from  New 

11 


12  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

York  on  July  29,  1917.  (Barker  was  then  in  England.) 
Reynolds  had  been  music  director  at  a  New  York  high 
school,  a  church  organist,  and  an  entertainment  coach. 
He  went  to  France  as  the  first  musical  and  dramatic  di- 
rector. He  was  at  once  assigned  to  the  First  Division  at 
Gondrecoiu-t.  He  tried  continually  to  get  into  the  Army 
as  a  volunteer  and  was  rejected,  but  his  spirit  was  irre- 
pressible— he  could  sing,  tell  stories,  and  give  rollicking 
imitations. 

Gerry  Reynolds  spent  twenty-six  months  in  France 
when  he  had  planned  to  spend  two;  he  went  up  with  the 
First  Division  in  August,  1917,  the  first  full-time  enter- 
tainer in  the  field;  he  opened  up  the  amusement  enter- 
prises in  Paris  in  October  and  put  on  its  feet  the  splendid 
organization  for  entertaining  men  on  leave  there,  which 
later  grew  to  such  huge  and  capably  managed  proportions; 
he  went  to  Aix-les-Bains  as  Entertainment  Director  in 
February,  1918,  and  wrote,  rehearsed,  and  staged  shows 
in  a  single  day,  led  the  local  orchestra,  took  a  chance  as 
impromptu  impresario  of  a  real  grand  opera  company, 
and  handled  the  collective  temperaments  of  the  Comedie 
Frangaise  Company,  the  finest  players  in  France,  as  well 
as  innumerable  stellar  French  vaudeville  attractions.  He 
ran  the  Aix  Casino,  the  social  center  of  one  of  the  most 
notable  watering  places  in  Europe,  with  dances,  parties, 
and  shows  put  on  nightly  to  the  delight  of  the  soldiers 
on  leave;  he  helped  to  organize  entertainment  circuits  in 
the  Riviera;  he  spent  two  months  at  Brest,  of  muddy  misery; 
he  reopened  the  Festhalle  in  Coblenz  with  a  show  that  fin- 
ished its  last  rehearsal  five  minutes  before  the  curtain 
went  up;  he  put  on  the  show  '^Let's  Go"  and  clothed  his 
soldier  chorus  with  amazing  gowns  which  he  had  secured 
from  the  leading  costumers  of  Paris. 

The  first  male  entertainer  to  appear  among  the  fighting 
troops  was  a  "song  and  piano"  artist — C.  E.  Clifford 
Walker.     He  came  over  at  the  end  of  September,   1917, 


E.  C.  Carter 


Lt.-Col.  R.  M.  Lyon 


Major  J.  O.  Donovan  Warren  Dunham  Fostei^ 


General  Y  M  C  A  Headquarters,  Paris 


THE  ADVANCE  GUARD  IN  FRANCE  13 

and  stayed  about  three  months.  Walker  was  with  the 
First  Division  when  they  went  into  the  line.  He  had 
a  piano  on  which  he  "vamped' '  as  he  told  his  various  stories 
and  gave  his  divers  imitations,  but  as  they  neared  the 
firing  line  he  was  forced  to  leave  his  piano  behind,  and  at 
the  front  he  simply  let  his  legs  hang  over  a  stage  and  told 
stories  to  the  boys. 

Along  the  lines  at  this  time  was  a  magician,  Maletsky. 
He  was  one  of  those  marvelous  one-man-shows,  the  rest 
of  his  company  being  made  up  of  rabbits.  He  had  to 
return  to  Paris  every  now  and  then  to  stock  up  on  rabbits, 
as  those  he  had  with  him  grew  amazingly  and  soon  got  too 
large  to  fit  into  silk  hats.  Maletsky  could  not  speak  a 
word  of  EngUsh  and  as  he  would  say,  ''Eh,  Monsieur, 
voila!"  or  "Alors,  un,  deux,  trois,  vous  voyez?''  the  men 
took  great  delight  in  mimicking  him  and  in  counting  in 
unison.  Fortunately,  besides  being  a  prince  of  prestidig- 
itators he  had  a  great  sense  of  humor,  so,  after  all,  he  spoke 
the  American  language  in  his  own  way. 


The  first  woman  entertainer  to  appear  with  the  A.  E.  F. 
was  a  grand  opera  contralto — Mme.  Cobbina  Johnson, 
wife  of  Owen  Johnson,  the  novelist.  This  charming  artist 
came  up  from  Monte  Carlo,  where  she  had  been  singing 
with  great  distinction  in  the  opera  after  successful  tours 
through  France  and  Italy.  She  volunteered  to  go  with 
the  First  Division  toward  the  end  of  September,  1917. 

They  wanted  somebody  to  go  out  to  the  Mallet  Reserve 
at  Soissons  for  Christmas.  It  was  in  the  French  Zone 
and  at  that  time  there  was  great  difficulty  in  getting  the 
passes.  They  had  planned  to  have  her  go  with  Nicholas 
Sokoloff,  a  fine  violinist  and  conductor,  and  spend  Christ- 
mas with  the  boys.  Mme.  Johnson  was  told  that  these 
boys  did  not  have  anybody  to  help  them  out  on  Christmas. 

"I  will  go  if  you  will  get  me  my  passes,"  she  exclaimed. 


! 


14  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

"We  can't." 

"All  right,  I'll  get  them  for  myself." 

She  went  to  the  French  Embassy,  got  the  passes,  and 
spent  Christmas  with  the  Mallet  Reserve.  She  lost  her 
voice  and  could  not  speak  for  two  months;  then  she  went 
down  to  Aix  in  the  summer  of  1918.  Mme.  Johnson  made 
a  great  hit  because  of  her  versatility  and  willingness.  She 
would  sing  at  any  time,  under  any  conditions,  whether 
with  a  band,  a  piano,  or  alongside  a  canteen  counter. 

No  account  of  this  period  will  be  complete  without 
recording  the  superlative  good  luck  of  the  American  Army 
in  having  at  their  disposal  the  services  of  Mrs.  August 
Belmont  who,  as  Eleanor  Robson,  will  always  be  remem- 
bered as  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  beloved  actresses  of 
the  American  stage.  Mrs.  Belmont  went  over  in  special 
work  with  the  American  Red  Cross  in  the  fall  of  1917, 
and  found  time  to  make  several  trips  around  the  American 
camps.  Before  she  returned  home  in  March,  1918,  she 
gave  selections  from  all  her  great  successes.  Mrs.  Belmont 
took  an  active  interest  in  the  work  from  the  start,  and 
it  was  she  who  suggested  to  Mr.  Carter  the  happy  choice 
of  Mr.  Winthrop  Ames  as  the  man  best  qualified  to  become 
the  chief  recruiting  officer  for  the  American  stage.  No 
measure  can  be  placed  on  the  value  of  this  single  suggestion. 

Another  of  the  pioneers  with  the  First  Division  at  this 
time  was  Miss  Anna  Hughes,  a  Philadelphia  girl.  She  went 
over  to  France  with  the  "American  Fund  for  French 
Wounded"  and  filled  a  very  important  niche  as  a  delight- 
ful personality,  who  not  only  gave  songs  for  the  boj^s, 
without  number  and  without  price,  but  who  could  raise 
more  volume  of  song  from  the  men  in  a  given  space  of 
time  than  anyone  else  in  reach.  She  literally  was  the 
first  to  set  the  Army  to  singing  its  way  to  victory. 


It  was  in  these  modest  beginnings  in  France  that  the 


THE  ADVANCE  GUARD  IN  FRANCE  16 

stage  was  being  set  for  this  greatest  entertainment  enter- 
prise in  history,  the  little  beginning  of  a  big  achievement 
— and  right  here  let  us  record  the  fact  that  it  began  as  a 
lecture  bureau. 

Arthur  H.  Gleason,  an  American  who  had  served  as  a 
private  in  the  French  Army,  and  written  the  volume  ^^ Golden 
Lads"  as  an  account  of  his  war  experience,  was  now  in 
England.  At  Mr.  Carter's  invitation,  he  came  to  France 
and  joined  Emmet  O'Neil  in  the  PubUcity  Department. 
It  was  Mr.  Gleason 's  idea  that  much  could  be  gained  by 
an  interchange  of  speakers,  familiar  with  both  nationalities, 
between  the  American  and  French  Armies,  and  on  his 
own  initiative  he  went  ahead  on  this  idea.  Its  original 
purpose  was  to  send  lecturers  into  both  Armies — and  these 
lecturers  did  take  an  important  part  as  the  vast  enterprise 
developed. 

Dr.  John  G.  Coulter,  of  Chicago,  was  appointed  on  Septem- 
ber 15,  1917,  as  sole  head  of  the  Bureau  of  Lectures  and 
Entertainments.  Dr.  Coulter  had  just  finished  six  months' 
service  with  the  French  Army  as  a  captain  in  the  American 
Ambulance  Corps.  With  two  young  ambulance  drivers 
as  his  assistants,  he  found  himself  installed  in  the  little 
office  on  the  Avenue  Montaigne,  with  facilities  for  enter- 
taining the  American  Army — consisting  of  ten  men  and 
women  who  had  been  serving  in  the  field  as  lecturers  and 
half  a  dozen  entertainers  who  had  been  sent  over  by  the 
New  York  office.  This  was  the  nucleus  of  a  great  idea. 
Dr.  Coulter  expanded  it  with  all  the  means  at  his  dis- 
posal. He  engaged  French  concert  and  music  hall  artists, 
whenever  his  funds  would  stand  it,  and  sent  repeated  calls 
for  help  to  America. 

Before  the  First  Division  arrived  in  France,  the  organ- 
ization was  asked  by  the  French  Government  for  a  group 
of  men  to  state  the  causes  of  the  War  clearly  to  some  of 
the  flagging  units  of  the  French  Army,  in  the  Foyers  du 
Soldat  established  at  the  divisional  bases.    These  lecturers 


16  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

first  brought  to  the  French  Army  the  promise  of  the  im- 
mense American  assistance  that  was  to  come.  Later  they 
reported  to  the  French  the  first  arrival  of  the  American 
troops.  When  the  First  Division  sent  a  regiment  to  march 
through  Paris  on  July  4,  1917,  these  secretaries  with  the 
French  Army  in  the  field  shared  in  the  wonderful  demonstra- 
tion of  gratefulness  and  relief  with  which  the  French  greeted 
this  symbolic  act  of  their  great  ally.  There  was  no  such 
pressing  need  at  that  time  for  stimulating  the  American 
Army,  but  some  of  the  same  group  of  lecturers  performed 
a  splendid  service  in  putting  before  American  soldiers  in 
the  field,  at  the  very  beginning  of  their  operations,  the 
basic  issues  of  the  War. 

At  this  time,  also,  the  first  prominent  American  enter- 
tainers began  to  arrive  in  France.  The  story  of  these 
pioneers  will  be  told  as  this  powerful  human  drama  de- 
velops— it  is  one  of  the  many  intensely  interesting  scenes 
to  come. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  PIONEER  COMPANY 

''So  we'll  live 
And  pray,  and  sing,  and  tell  old  tales,  and  laugh.'' 

King  Lear. 

It  was  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  October,  1917,  that  the 
first  ''company"  to  leave  America  sailed  for  France.  This 
pioneer  ''company''  consisted  of  Francis  Rogers,  a  prom- 
inent baritone  of  New  York;  Mrs.  Francis  Rogers  (Cornelia 
Barnes),  a  well  known  and  talented  elocutionist;  and  Roger 
Lyons,  an  accompanist,  and  it  set  sail  on  an  historic  voyage 
— a  tour  that  was  to  make  history — for  the  Rogers  were 
not  only  to  be  the  first  company  to  travel  through  the 
battle  areas  tackling  the  hardships  of  transport  and  staging 
under  the  most  primitive  conditions,  but  they  were  to 
bring  home  with  them  the  first  message  of  the  great  hunger 
with  which  the  American  doughboys  were  waiting  for 
"real  American  shows." 

The  Rogers  were  recruited  by  Mr.  Sloane,  in  response 
to  the  urgent  call  from  France  for  entertainers,  and  set 
sail  shortly  after  Mr.  McLane  took  control.  It  was  a  stroke 
of  wisdom  and  excellent  judgment  diu'ing  a  critical  time. 
The  Rogers  were  truly  patriotic,  and  immediately  upon 
America's  entrance  into  the  War  had  volunteered  their 
services.  They  had  been  appearing  in  the  army  camps 
in  this  country  before  the  boys  "went  over"  and  were 
anxious  to  get  into  the  conflict.  Rogers  set  aside  his  pro- 
fessional work  to  give  his  entire  services,  in  company 
with  his  wife,  to  the  American  Army. 

And  so  they  sailed  on  one  of  the  early  troop  ships — 
their  adventures  would  alone  fill  a  volume.     They  began 

17     . 


1^  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMr 

to  entertain  on  the  ship  until  it  passed  into  the  submarine 
zones,  Mr.  Rogers  singing  many  of  his  own  songs,  and 
Mrs.  Rogers  in  lier  monologues  impersonating  (juamt 
characters  with  a  joyous  humor  that  soon  made  the  boys 
forget  their  dangers. 

The  first  letter  ^^home"  from  Mr.  Rogers  described  the 
experiences  of  these  American  pioneers: 

'^In  the  first  eight  days  ashore  we  gave  ten  concerts, 
eight  in  the  American  camps  and  two  on  the  side  in  the 
French  hospitals.  The  responsiveness  of  our  boys  is  really 
pathetic.  They  all  say  that  they  measure  the  passage 
of  time  by  the  arrival  of  letters  from  home. 

^They  all  want  to  hear  the  latest  songs  and  anything 
fresh  from  home.  Their  taste  in  music  is  frankly  Broadway. 
The  boys  want  songs  with  chorus  and  ragtime.  Their 
favorites  are:  ^When  the  Red  Dawn  Is  Shining,'  'Sunshine 
of  Your  Smile,'  'I  May  Be  Gone  for  a  Long,  Long  Time,' 
*0h,  Johnnie,  Oh,'  'Good-by  Broadway,  Hello  France,' 
'Tipperary,'  'Carry  Me  Back  to  Old  Virginny,'  'I  Want 
to  Be  in  Dixie,'  'Keep  the  Home  Fires  Burning,'  'Indiana,' 
'Joan  of  Arc,'  'Where  Do  We  Go  from  Here?'  'Huckle- 
berry Finn,'  'Over  There,'  'A  Long,  Long  Trail,'  'Pack  Upi 
Your  Troubles,'  'Poor  Butterfly.' 

"All  mother  songs  the  boys  are  crazy  about — no  matter 
how  sentimental  they  are.  They  love  such  solos  as:  'I 
Hear  You  Calling  Me,'  'Mother  o'Mine,'  'Mother  Machree,' 
'Irish  Love  Song,'  'Little  Grey  Home  in  the  West,'  'Per- 
fect Day,'  'Absent,'  'That  Little  Mother  o'  Mine,'  'An 
Irishman's  Dream.' 

"Nellie  has  found  a  great  liking  for  the  poems  of  R.  W. 
Service  among  the  boys — especially  'Rimes  of  a  Red  Cross 
Man.'  She  has  had  great  success,  too,  with  her  poem, 
'Now  That  My  Boy  Has  Gone  to  France.'  " 

After  persistent  demands  and  many  difficulties,  the 
Rogers  were  granted  permits  to  tour  first  in  the  Bordeaux 
Area,  but  went  as  soon  as  they  could  make  the  connec- 
tion— that  is,  late  in  November — up  to  the  First  Army 
Area  around  Gondrecourt,  where  30,000  Americans  were 
getting  ready  for  action.    They  were  one  of  the  first  enter- 


THE  PIONEER  COMPANY  19 

tainment  groups  ever  to  play  in  the  big  artillery  camp  at 
Valdahon.  There  were  Americans  serving  on  the  front 
line  even  then.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  put  on  their  '^show" 
under  real  war  conditions  in  cities  and  camps  under  bomb- 
ing fire  within  German  artillery  range.  They  went  to 
Rheims,  covering  a  long  line  of  British  front  up  toward 
Bapaume  in  that  breathless  period  just  following  the 
Cambrai  offensive,  when  the  British  revealed  for  the  first 
time  in  the  War  the  redoubtable  tank. 

In  those  days  Americans  were  still  doing  all  they  could 
to  help  entertain  the  French  in  the  Foyers  du  Soldat, 
especially  along  the  Champagne  front,  where  a  perilous 
morale  still  persisted  from  the  unhappy  days  of  that  summer. 
The  Rogers  pitched  in  nobly.  Mr.  Rogers  translated  his 
songs  and  Mrs.  Rogers  her  stories  and  monologues  into 
French,  and  you  might  have  beheld  the  unique  sight  of 
huts  filled  with  French  soldiers  actually  laughing  at  Amer- 
ican jokes  translated  into  French,  but  with  their  American 
origin  showing  through  every  chink  of  the  translation. 

The  tense  and  most  dramatic  moments  came,  however, 
after  the  performance.  The  Rogers  were  real  folks.  Mrs. 
Rogers,  a  charming,  home-loving  woman,  loved  every 
mother's  son  of  them.  So  after  each  performance  they 
went  out  and  shook  hands  all  around  and  wanted  to  know 
if  there  was  anything,  anything  at  all,  they  could  do  for 
the  boys — and  they  never  failed  to  find  a  heartfelt  response. 
What  they  did  will  never  be  known.  Only  the  boys  can 
tell.  They  probably  relieved  more  lonesomeness  to  the 
square  inch  than  any  other  people  on  the  circuit  during 
that  winter.  ^'When  they  gave  you  cigarettes  or  a  bar  of 
chocolate  in  the  days  when  stocks  of  these  articles  were 
just  beginning  to  get  through  the  transportation  jam,  it 
was  like  getting  a  personal  gift  from  folks  in  your  own 
home  town,"  say  the  soldiers,  who  do  not  forget.  Some- 
times they  ate  with  the  men;  sometimes  they  took  boys 
back  to  their  own  hotel  to  give  thetn  a  taste  of  real  home 


20  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

preserves  and  an  hour  of  real  U.  S.  A.  talk.    No  one  knows 
how  much  this  meant  to  men  who  were  just  shaking  down 
to  war,  thi'ee  thousand  miles  from  home. 
Again  Mr.  Rogers  sent  word  back  to  America: 

'^The  response  of  the  boys  is  wonderful.  We  are  'carry- 
ing on'  under  the  greatest  difficulties — there  has  been  only 
one  clear,  dry  day  since  we  landed  in  France.  In  the  re- 
gion where  we  have  been  the  ground  is  always  covered 
with  mud.  When  it  rains,  the  mud  is  inches  deep;  when 
the  heavens  cease  to  weep,  the  mud  is  just  the  same. 

''My  wife  and  I  did  our  best  to  keep  going,  but  she 
gave  out  on  one  night  and  I  on  the  next.  We  are  now  in 
Paris  recovering  our  voices.  We  hope  to  resume  work 
next  week.  It  is  a  wonderful  work  and  we  love  it.  Our 
boys  need  and  deserve  everything  anybody  can  do  to 
cheer,  encourage,  and  support  them." 

And  on  they  went,  these  pioneer  American  messengers, 
carrying  happiness  to  the  ports  and  the  S.  O.  S.,  arriving  at 
Brest  just  in  time  for  the  big  Christmas  celebration  organ- 
ized by  Gerald  Reynolds  and  Karl  Gate.  For  this  celebra- 
tion "friends''  back  in  America  had  sent  a  load  of  gifts 
for  the  boys.    Mr.  Rogers  wrote: 

"The  'Y'  is  doing  a  beautiful  work.  My  greatest  admira- 
tion goes  to  Mr.  Garter,  Miss  Ely,  and  Miss  McGook, 
who  never  seem  to  lose  their  tempers  under  the  most  un- 
toward circumstances,  and  to  the  brave  women  canteen 
workers  and  secretaries  who  exist  in  cold,  damp,  fireless 
rooms  and  are  subject  to  any  kind  of  hardships  and  who 
do  their  work  with  good  cheer  and  courage.    It  is  splendid." 


By  this  time  the  Rogers  had  lost  their  identity  as  a 
single  party  and  were  giving  joint  shows  with  most  of  the 
other  early  pioneers  on  the  circuit.  They  toured  the  British 
front,  for  instance,  with  the  Dushkin  party  which  had 
been  organized  in  France.  It  was  one  of  those  wonderful 
violin,  singing,  instrumental  combinations,  which  did  mag- 


THE  PIONEER  COMPANY  21 

nificent  work  in  every  sort  of  environment.  The  personnel 
of  the  Dushkin  party  consisted  of  Samuel  Dushkin,  the 
famous  American  violinist,  Mile.  Mona  Gondre  of  the 
Theatre  Odeon  in  Paris,  Jean  Verd,  accompanist,  and  Pablo 
Casals,  one  of  the  world's  great  cellists.  The  Dushkin  party 
not  only  toured  all  over  the  front  and  stayed  with  the  Ameri- 
can troops  through  their  hardest  campaign  periods,  but  stuck 
to  the  game  until  way  along  in  May,  1919,  one  of  the  long- 
est periods  of  service,  if  not  actually  the  longest,  achieved 
by  any  concert  troupe  in  France. 

The  last  message  from  Mr.  Rogers  at  the  front  reads: 

"We  have  now  given  more  than  100  concerts  and  are 
planning  to  go  home  in  about  a  fortnight.  We  ought  to 
be  in  New  York  by  April  15th.  After  that  date  we  shall 
be  entirely  at  the  service  of  the  YMCA  for  concerts,  advice, 
or  any  old  thing.  We  have  had  a  wonderful  experience 
and  are  sorry  it  is  nearly  over.  But  we  are  going  to  work 
harder  than  ever  in  our  American  camps  at  home." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  finished  their  service  in  France 
by  providing  the  pihce  de  resistance  of  the  concerts  which 
greeted  the  first  regular  leave  of  the  First  Division  at 
Aix-les-Bains  in  the  spring  of  1918.  On  their  return  home 
they  sang  in  camps  near  New  York  City  and  assisted  in 
war  work  and  Liberty  Loan  drives.  As  the  first  concert 
people  to  respond  to  the  call,  theirs  is  a  splendid  and  en- 
viable record. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  TROUPERS  IN  ACTION 

^^ Screw  your  courage  to  the  sticking-place 
And  we'll  not  fail.'' 

Macbeth. 

The  problems  which  were  developing  in  the  American 
Army  at  home  and  abroad  in  the  fall  of  1917  called  for 
urgent  action.  General  Pershing,  with  the  whole  American 
nation  behind  him,  was  accomplishing  the  ''impossible" 
— the  creation  of  a  huge  fighting  machine  behind  the  lines 
in  France.  Mr.  Carter  in  Paris  foresaw  the  burdens  and 
responsibilities  that  were  to  be  placed  upon  his  organiza- 
tion with  the  continual  arrival  of  troops.  His  cables  warned 
**the  folks  back  home"  of  the  increasing  needs.  The  pioneers 
on  the  field  were  proving  the  incalculable  value  of  sus- 
taining the  spirits  of  the  soldiers  at  the  fighting  pitch 
with  which  they  had  embarked  on  their  great  adventure. 
In  America,  the  same  farsightedness  was  actuating  Mr. 
Sloane  and  Mr.  McLane — the  latter  now  in  full  control 
of  the  task  of  recruiting  and  sending  over  the  volunteers. 

The  problems  were  without  precedent — never  in  the 
history  of  warfare  had  such  an  undertaking  been  attempted. 
Whether  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  recruits  would  be  needed, 
or  for  what  period  they  should  enlist,  was  entirely  un- 
known. There  was  no  way  to  judge  what  type  of  enter- 
tainers would  be  most  acceptable  to  the  soldiers.  The 
factors  of  the  human  equation  on  which  everything  was 
to  depend  were  still  unknown.  Then  there  were  the  problems 
of  present  contracts,  of  passports  and  war  regulations, 
of  recruiting  exclusively  above  the  draft  age,  of  trans- 
portation— innumerable  difficulties  that  must  be  met  and 
overcome  when  the  recruits  went  into  service. 

22 


THE  TROUPERS  IN  ACTION.  23 

Mr.  McLane's  first  move  was  to  get  in  touch  with  the 
responsible  agencies  where  entertainers,  such  as  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Francis  Rogers,  could  be  secured.  This  initiative 
resulted  in  the  survey  of  the  entire  field  of  concert  singers, 
church  organists  who  could  play  a  wide  range  of  popular 
music,  Chautauqua  readers,  and  gifted  amateurs  and 
volunteers  of  all  kinds.  His  second  move  was  to  secure 
thousands  of  musical  instruments — guitars,  banjos,  mando- 
lins— whatever  might  be  sent  to  the  doughboys  to  help 
them  create  their  own  ' 'spirit."  His  third  move  was  to 
secure  hundreds  of  thousands  of  copies  of  popular  songs 
to  start  the  Army  singing  its  way  to  victory. 

The  public  quickly  responded  to  Mr.  McLane's  cam- 
paigns. Thousands  of  letters  began  to  flood  his  office. 
The  cooperation  of  the  big  music  publishers  proved  a  very 
valuable  asset.  Mr  .Walter  Damrosch,  from  the  plat- 
form of  Carnegie  Hall,  made  an  eloquent  appeal  for  the 
movement.  Mrs.  John  Philip  Sousa  appealed  for  band 
instruments,  and  the  result  was  literally  carloads  of  gifts. 
When  Mr.  McLane  sent  out  his  nation-wide  call  for  every- 
body to  take  down  ''that  old  ukelele"  from  the  top  shelf 
and  send  it  to  the  boys  "over  there,"  the  public  threatened 
to  bury  him  under  mounds  of  instruments. 


The  first  regularly  organized  unit  to  be  sent  to  France  was 
forced  to  sail  on  three  ships.  First  went  the  famous  Liberty 
Quartet  with  an  accompanist  and  its  organizer,  who 
later  became  director  of  the  whole  entertainment  bureau 
in  Paris — Walter  H.  Johnson,  Jr.  This  pioneer  unit  sailed 
on  the  Rochambeau  on  November  30,  1917.  It  included 
Mr.  Johnson,  two  church  choir  singers — Miss  Beulah 
Dodge,  contralto,  and  Miss  Kate  Horisberg,  soprano — 
and  Albert  Wiederhold,  who  had  been  bass  soloist  for  some 
time  at  Dr.  Parkhurst's  church  in  New  York.  On  the 
second  ship,  the  Niagara,  on  December  16th,  went  William 


24  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

Janauschek,  an  organist  from  Englewood,  N.  J.,  who  later 
became  Elsie  Janis's  accompanist  extraordinary  in  her 
record-breaking  tour  of  the  armies.  On  the  third  ship, 
La  Touraine,  saihng  December  28th,  was  John  Steel,  one  of 
the  bright  Ughts  of  Broadway,  who  also  had  been  a  church 
choir  singer. 

The  Liberty  Quartet  was  a  splendid  organization.  Col- 
lectively, it  was  an  aggregation  of  stars  endowed  with  a 
fine  esprit  de  corps;  individually,  the  members  of  the  unit 
all  made  magnificent  records  and  displayed  unconquerable 
spirit  and  unswerving  loyalty  to  the  cause  they  went  abroad 
to  serve.  From  the  beginning  they  encountered  many 
difficulties  which  were  inseparable  from  the  conditions  of 
the  time,  but  they  stuck  through  everything  with  a  perse- 
verance and  pluck  which  set  a  high  standard  for  those  to 
follow. 

The  initial  difficulty — a  typical  instance  of  the  unfore- 
seen circumstances  which  created  continual  obstacles — 
was  met  on  the  pier  on  the  very  day  of  sailing.  ''We  got 
down  to  the  dock  of  the  French  Line,"  says  Mr.  Johnson, 
"and  everybody  thought  they  would  all  meet  there. 
When  we  got  there  we  found  Bill  Janauschek,  the  accom- 
panist, and  we  said,  'Hello,  Bill,'  but  he  said,  'I  can't  go.' 
Word  had  come  from  Washington  at  the  last  moment 
canceling  his  passport  until  further  investigation."  Thus 
the  strong  hand  of  the  Government's  necessary  precaution 
was  interposed,  as  many  times  afterward,  to  make  as- 
surance doubly  sure  of  the  hundred  per  cent  American 
quality  of  the  men  and  women  who  were  going  over  to 
join  the  fighting  forces.  Mr.  Janauschek's  detention  was 
a  purely  technical  matter  and  this  loyal  American  sailed 
on  December  16th  on  the  next  French  liner,  the  Niagara , 
to  join  his  comrades  in  France. 

Meanwhile,  the  quartet,  minus  accompanist  and  tenor 
(for  Mr.  Steel  was  not  able  to  sail  until  December  28th), 
sang  all   the  way  over   on   board   the  Rochambeau,  and 


THE  TROUPERS  IN  ACTION  25 

on  their  arrival  in  Paris  December  10th  spent  no  time 
waiting  for  the  missing  members  of  their  Httle  group,  but 
went  out  to  sing  in  the  camps  around  Paris,  with  Mile. 
Colet,  a  Franco-American  girl,  as  their  accompanist.  Their 
programs  ranged  over  a  wide  field,  all  the  way  from  opera 
numbers  and  religious  selections  to  the  beautiful  old  Negro 
melodies.  They  also  had  a  goodly  sheaf  of  humorous  and 
comedy  songs,  for  in  this  dreary  winter  every  laugh  was 
as  good  as  a  letter  from  home.  And  at  the  end  of  every 
show  they  saw  to  it  that  the  boys  had  a  good  sing-song  of 
their  own.  ^'It  was  then,''  Mr.  Wiederhold  modestly  says, 
"we  had  some  real  music."  Anyhow,  each  evening  a 
thousand  or  more  happy  soldiers  went  away  from  the 
show  feeling  that  life  was  worth  living  and  that  a  million 
loving  thoughts  from  America  were  still  on  their  trail  in 
muddy,  dreary  France.  Then  they  started  for  Chaumont 
and  the  training  areas  round  Neufchateau  and  Gondre- 
coiu-t.  On  Christmas  Day,  they  commenced  a  long  tour 
through  the  hospitals  along  the  whole  American  line  of 
communication.  The  prodigality  with  which  they  gave 
themselves  to  the  work  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  on  Christ- 
mas Day  they  gave  fourteen  different  programs. 


Meanwhile,  Mr.  Johnson  was  having  his  first  taste  of 
service  in  the  Twenty-Sixth  Division.  Mr.  Carter  sent 
him  immediately  on  his  arrival  to  the  little  town  of  Pom- 
pierre,  to  learn  at  first  hand,  as  a  hut  secretary,  the  life 
of  the  soldier  under  war  conditions.  He  stayed  there  till 
February  1,  1918.  No  better  training  for  the  man  who 
was  eventually  to  supply  such  splendid  and  practical 
initiative  at  entertainment  headquarters  could  be  imagined. 

Entertainment  facilities  during  this  period  were  prim- 
itive, indeed.  Mr.  Johnson  tells  this  story  of  the  Christ- 
mas show  at  Pompierre: 

"I  will  tell  you  an  experience  at  my  own  hut  at  Christ- 


26  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

mas.  I  had  been  there  a  few  days.  We  had  any  quantity 
of  cigarettes,  big  tin  boxes  of  five  hundred  each.  So  we 
took  the  tin  boxes  and  bent  them  out  to  make  reflectors 
for  foothghts,  and  used  candles.  All  the  lights  we  had  in 
that  hut  of  ours  were  three  lamps;  the  chimneys  of  two 
were  broken  and  we  had  no  oil,  but  we  used  candles,  with 
these  tin  boxes  as  footlights,  and  we  built  a  stage  out  of 
wooden  crates  that  cigarettes  came  in  and  things  like  that. 
I  will  never  forget  the  show  we  got  up.  The  average  French 
peasant  in  such  a  little  town  had  about  two  suits  of  clothes, 
the  one  he  had  on  and  worked  in  and  his  Sunday  clothes. 
The  Sunday  clothes  might  be  fifteen  years  old,  but  they 
were  his  Sunday  clothes  and  they  were  neat,  not  particularly 
stylish,  but  serviceable  and  clean.  We  put  on  a  show  at 
Christmas,  entitled  'School  Days';  the  idea  was  a  school 
in  which  there  could  be  any  quantity  of  horse  play  that 
appealed  to  the  masses  and  was  automatic.  It  really  took 
little  rehearsing  and  it  was  automatic.  But  we  had  to 
have  a  certain  amount  of  costumes  and  in  feeble  French 
I  went  around  the  village  and  tried  to  get  clothes  from  the 
French.  We  got  a  few  women's  dresses  and  a  few  pairs 
of  civilian  trousers  and  out  of  courtesy  to  the  French  people 
who  had  loaned  their  other  suits  of  clothes  we  asked  them 
in  to  see  the  show.  We  borrowed  desks  from  the  school- 
houses.  I  think  they  were  the  desks  that  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte studied  over;  the  old  school-teacher  must  have  been 
seventy-five  easily. 

*^I  don't  think  we  had  ever  had  a  dress  rehearsal.  The 
first  time  they  had  those  clothes  on  was  the  real  thing, 
and  every  conceivable  prank  that  you  can  imagine  might 
be  pulled  off  in  a  schoolroom — only  rather  intensified — 
was  pulled  off  at  that  show.  Not  throwing  cream  puffs 
but  paste  or  anything  hke  that,  and  the  kicking  of  seats 
out  from  under  one  another,  all  of  which  I  am  telling  be- 
cause of  the  effect  it  had  on  those  Sunday  clothes  of  the 
French  populace  who  were  in  the  back  of  the  house  and 
were  just  raving  mad  at  seeing  their  clothes,  their  only 
other  suits,  going  to  rack  and  ruin.  The  crowd  of  dough- 
boys thought  it  was  a  wonderful  joke  and  the  sorer  the 
French  got  the  better  the  show  was.  It  took  a  considerable 
number  of  francs  to  make  up  to  the  French.  They  never 
really  did  get  over  it." 


THE  TROUPERS  IN  ACTION  27 

Every  day  of  Mr.  Johnson's  six  weeks  at  Pompierre 
was  not  so  eventful  as  this,  but  the  job  was  training  of  the 
kind  that  gains  real  value  when  the  need  comes.  Mr. 
Johnson  remembers  with  particular  affection,  as  does 
everybody  who  worked  overseas,  the  quality  of  his  soldier 
assistants. 

On  the  first  of  February,  1918,  there  came  a  brief  tele- 
gram from  Mr.  Carter:  "Report  to  Paris  to  C.  M.  Steele." 
Although  Mr.  Steele,  before  he  went  to  Paris  to  become 
Director  of  the  Entertainment  Department,  had  had  an 
experience  as  hut  secretary  similar  to  Johnson's  in  a  little 
town  not  twenty  miles  from  Pompierre  during  this  very 
time,  this  was  the  first  Johnson  had  ever  heard  of  the  man 
with  whom  he  was  to  accomphsh  such  far-reaching  results 
in  the  entertainment  initiative  overseas.  Johnson  had 
been  selected  as  Assistant  Director,  so  he  was  informed 
when  he  arrived  in  Paris.  But  Steele  was  "out  on  the 
road"  accompanying  Messrs.  Ames  and  Sothern  on  their 
tour  through  the  camps,  so  Johnson's  first  job  was  not 
to  report  to  his  chief,  but  "to  chase  and  catch  him."  He 
caught  him  at  Tours.  Mr.  Steele  was  extremely  glad  to 
see  his  young  assistant,  for  the  trip  he  was  then  taking  with 
the  Ames-Sothern  party  around  the  American  area  re- 
vealed to  all  how  much  there  was  to  be  done  before  even 
a  fair  beginning  could  be  made  in  entertaining  the  fast- 
growing  American  Army.  They  returned  to  Paris  about 
the  15th  of  February  and  then  began  that  long  connection 
which  lasted,  with  the  exception  of  a  six  weeks'  trip  to 
America  which  Mr.  Steele  took  between  late  July  and  early 
September,  until  the  end  of  December,  1918.  Then  Mr. 
Johnson  carried  on  the  campaign  in  sole  control  until 
May  8,  1919. 


Charles  M.  Steele  had  arrived  in  France  in  December, 
1917,  and  gone  out  with  the  First   Division  to  become 


28  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

hut  secretary  at  the  httle  town  of  Baudigncourt.  He  won 
a  considerable  reputation  in  the  early  days  as  the  man 
who  had  put  on  more  good  shows  than  anybody  else  in 
the  First  Division,  a  record  that  culminated  in  the  Christ- 
mas celebration  at  Baudigncourt,  which  Mr.  Steele  pre- 
sented to  six  enthusiastic  audiences  of  doughboys.  He 
describes  it  in  this  modest  fashion: 

"From  the  time  that  I  first  went  out  to  take  over  the 
hut  at  Baudigncourt,  I  saw  that  one  of  the  big  things 
was  to  have  entertainments,  and  so,  having  had  a  little 
experience  in  getting  up  shows  in  Detroit  at  the  Board  of 
Conamerce,  I  started  to  do  it.  It  wasn't  hard  because  one 
of  the  first  things  the  gang  said  to  me  was,  ^Why  don't 
we  have  a  show?'  So  we  had  some  very  crude  entertain- 
ments, sort  of  rough  and  tumble,  wild-west  kind,  and  that 
developed  a  certain  amount  of  dramatic  talent  or  what 
we  were  pleased  to  call  our  Dramatic  Club  in  the  battalion. 

"When  Christmas  came  we  put  on  a  show  which  we 
called  The  Soldier's  Dream'  and  because  the  hut  was  not 
big  enough  to  hold  the  whole  battalion  we  gave  the  show 
by  companies.  We  gave  the  show  four  times  Christmas 
Eve  with  the  distribution  of  presents,  and  then  Christmas 
afternoon  we  gave  a  part  of  the  show  for  the  children  of 
the  village  and  Christmas  morning  we  had  an  athletic 
meeting — so  that  made  a  program  of  six  entertainments 
within  twenty-four  hours." 


Meanwhile,  in  all  this  period  of  beginnings,  especially 
from  January  1,  1918,  to  the  crisis  of  the  great  German 
drive  which  began  on  March  21st,  the  Liberty  Quartet 
continued  to  be  the  most  active  of  the  entertainment  units 
in  the  field.  Mr.  John  Steel  and  Mr.  Janauschek  joined 
the  quartet  soon  after  Christmas  and  for  two  months  they 
went  on  a  grand  tour  which  covered  the  areas  of  the  five 
American  divisions  and  swung  down  on  the  S.  O.  S.  and 
leave  area  circuits  as  far  as  Aix-les-Bains  on  the  east  and 
Brest  and  the  other  deep-sea  ports  on  the  west.    At  Brest, 


Col.  John 
R.  Kelly 


Lt-Col.  R.  B.  Gampli; 


Jazz  and  Jazzerinos 


THE  TROUPERS  IN  ACTION  29 

the  quartet  was  the  first  entertainment  group  to  board 
the  American  transports  then  coming  in  great  numbers 
to  the  shores  of  France.  They  sang  on  the  old  Prometheus^ 
the  big  repair  ship  which  became  famous  as  the  "mother 
ship"  of  the  American  Navy;  they  gave  a  show  on  the  Seattle y 
the  American  cruiser  which  brought  Secretary  Daniels  to 
France.  At  Issoudun,  they  gave  one  of  the  first  shows  to 
the  American  Air  Force  in  a  hangar  which  the  boys  had 
converted  into  a  stage.  "They  had  put  lovely  white  crash 
on  the  floor,"  says  Miss  Dodge,  "and  on  either  side  of 
the  stage  were  machines  owned  by  the  boys  themselves, 
which  they  called  their  private  boxes.  The  mud  out  there 
was  simply  dreadful,  and  we  with  our  muddy  feet  felt 
just  criminal  going  on  their  lovely  white  flooring." 

Miss  Dodge  tells  another  anecdote :  "One  day  at  Issoudun, 
we  went  into  a  hut  after  mess  with  the  officers  to  get  warm, 
and  saw  three  young  lieutenants  shaving  at  the  far  end. 
We  started  to  back  out  at  once,  but  one  of  the  young  men, 
who  afterward  proved  to  be  Quentin  Roosevelt,  waved  his 
razor  and  called  out,  'Oh,  come  right  in!  This  is  just  a 
little  of  the  home  touch,  you  know.'  " 

After  the  Brest  performances  the  quartet  split  up  and 
went  out  separately,  for  by  that  time  entertainers  had 
come  to  be  so  much  in  demand  that  everybody  as  far  as 
possible  had  to  be  a  little  quartet  all  by  himself.  Mr. 
Wiederhold  paired  up  with  the  inimitable  Mary  Rochester, 
who  not  only  played  the  piano  beautifully,  but  was  one  of 
the  earUest  of  the  singers  who  discovered  in  themselves  a  fine 
ability  to  get  the  boys  to  sing,  which  made  all  of  their 
performances  memorable.  Miss  Rochester,  by  the  way, 
who  had  been  a  music  student  in  New  York  and  an  am- 
bitious beginner  in  church  and  concert  work,  was  one  of 
the  real  musical  discoveries  of  the  War.  She  arrived  in 
France  on  February  24,  1918,  and  her  brief  account  of 
some  of  her  early  experiences  reveals  a  loyal  and  intrepid 
soldier  admirably  worthy  of  her  splendid  opportunity. 


30  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

''My  earliest  experiences  were  with  the  First  Division 
in  the  Toul  area.  At  this  time  the  men  hadn't  seen  an 
American  girl  for  months  and  when  I  entered  the  large 
camouflaged  tent  where  hundreds  of  men  were  waiting 
wide-eyed  for  their  first  glimpse  of  an  American  girl,  their 
eager,  concentrated  stare  embarrassed  me  very  much,  but 
I  soon  came  to  realize  what  it  all  meant — that  I  stood  for 
some  one  of  their  American  women  at  home.  The  one 
thing  that  impressed  them  more  than  any  other  was  that 
I  could  speak  English.  'She  talks  English,  she's  an  honest- 
to-God  American  girl,'  they  would  cry.  I  used  to  wear 
my  gas  mask  in  alerte  position  when  I  played  accompani- 
ments, but  only  once  was  I  ordered  to  put  it  on.  One  night 
the  shelling  was  so  loud  I  stopped  playing  and  asked  whether 
they  were  going  or  coming,  which  amused  the  boys  very  much. 

"I  shall  never  forget  the  way  the  boys  would  file  past  me, 
pumping  my  hand  up  and  down,  some  of  them  too  timid 
to  look  in  my  face,  but  squeezing  my  hand  so  hard  I  always 
had  to  remember  to  take  my  ring  off.  One  man  stuttered 
so  when  he  talked  I  could  hardly  understand  him.  When 
I  asked  him  why  he  stuttered,  he  replied  he  was  so  em- 
barrassed meeting  a  girl.  They  were  just  like  children  out 
there,  it  was  too  pathetic. 

"One  night  an  officer  took  me  out  to  his  battery.  He 
telephoned  his  men  to  be  prepared,  that  he  was  bringing 
an  important  visitor  to  call.  They,  of  course,  thought  it 
was  no  less  than  a  general  himself,  and  were  all  standing 
at  attention  when  we  arrived.  It  was  late  at  night  and  it 
seemed  to  me  we  had  walked  through  miles  of  mud  to  get 
there.  They  stood  at  attention  all  the  while,  but  the  smiles 
on  the  boys'  faces,  especially  when  I  sang  for  them  in  their 
dugouts,  was  worth  the  long  ride  out  and  my  wet  muddy 
feet.  Only  a  few  nights  after  that,  all  these  boys  were 
killed  when  their  battery  was  blown  up,  and  the  house 
where  I  had  dined  was  wrecked." 

Miss  Beulah  Dodge,  the  quartet  contralto,  after  the 
trip  to  Brest  was  assigned  with  Jean  Nestoresen,  the  violin- 
ist to  the  royal  court  of  Roumania.  "We  toured  together 
for  six  months,"  she  says,  "a  most  successful  concert  tour. 
We  were  all  over  in  the  lines  and  were  in  several  bom- 
bardments and  night  raids  in  camps  near  the  front,  giving 


THE  TROUPERS  IN  ACTION  31 

several  interrupted  concerts  during  the  great  drives  of  a 
year  ago  in  which  our  Americans  figured  so  prominently  up 
in  the  region  of  Chalons.  We  were  stationed  in  Mailly  and 
gave  concerts  all  around.  For  instance,  we  went  up  into 
the  Vosges  woods,  where  the  men  were  so  delighted  to  have 
anything  at  all,  and  simply  mobbed  us  with  appreciation. 
The  men  were  almost  stumped  by  the  fact  that  an  Amer- 
ican woman  had  really  come  up  there  to  entertain  them." 

These  trips  were  not  all  mere  mud  and  frolic,  as  the 
front  was  simply  poisonous,  then  as  always,  with  tonsilitis 
and  other  deadly  throat  and  bronchial  risks.  Miss  Dodge 
got  back  to  Aix,  after  her  tour  with  M.  Nestoresen,  and 
found  that  she  had  lost  her  beautiful  voice  and  nothing 
could  bring  it  back  again  save  an  interminable  rest.  So 
this  gallant  little  soldier,  to  whom  the  loss  of  her  voice 
meant  nothing  less  than  her  whole  vocational  and  artistic 
future,  put  her  own  troubles  behind  her  and  pitched  in  to 
canteen  work  in  the  Aix  Leave  Area.  For  more  than  eight 
months  she  worked  there  loyally  and  unselfishly.  Her 
voice  came  back,  but  she  sang  for  the  men  too  soon  and 
lost  it  again.  In  those  days  it  did  not  seem  to  matter 
much,  when  the  very  men  to  whom  you  were  singing  had 
faced  death  cheerfully  and  were  going  back  in  a  few  days 
for  another  bout,  that  a  singer  should  lose  a  little  thing 
like  her  voice.  The  real  artistic  spirit  was  to  offer  one's 
best,  but  if  ever  any  noncombatant  deserved  a  wound 
stripe,  it  was  Beulah  Dodge. 

Such  sacrifices  were  legion;  the  pity  of  it  is  that  many 
of  the  entertainers,  early  and  late,  who  suffered  the  most 
in  voice  or  physical  impairment  or  in  falling  behind  in  that 
hard  competitive  struggle  which  goes  on  so  remorselessly 
even  in  the  world  of  art — the  pity  of  it  is  that  most  of  those 
who  suffered  did  not  tel .  Another  girl  who  lost  her  voice 
came  back  to  the  leave  areas  and  became  one  of  the  best 
dramatic  coaches  in  France.  Others  kept  on  with  the 
cheering  reflection  that,  after  all,  if  the  boys  did  not  mind 


32  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

the  cracked  pianos  they  seemed  so  fond  of,  they  couldn't 
object  very  much  to  cracked  voices,  especially  if  they  could 
join  in  the  choruses  and  give  the  singer  a  rest. 


Another  party  which  belongs  unforgettably  to  this 
period  is  the  ''Five  Hearon  Sisters,"  a  quintet  of  dainty 
English  girls  who  had  won  deserved  recognition  in  Amer- 
ican vaudeville  and  who  were  lovingly  referred  to  by  the 
boys  as  the  Sardine  Ladies.  They  were  Winifred,  Anna, 
and  Charlotte  Hearon,  Clara  Gray,  and  Eunice  Prosser. 

These  five  girls  hold  one  of  the  long-distance  entertain- 
ment records  of  the  war.  They  sailed  February  17,  1918, 
immediately  after  finishing  a  long  circuit  on  the  American 
Chautauqua.  They  played  to  twelve  different  combat 
divisions,  including  all  the  veterans,  the  First,  Second, 
Third,  Fourth,  Seventh,  Twenty-Sixth,  Twenty-Eighth, 
Forty-Second,  Seventy-Ninth,  Eighty-Fifth,  Eighty-Ninth, 
and  Ninety-Second;  they  made  a  circuit  of  all  the  base 
hospitals,  and  played  for  four  months  in  most  of  the  large 
cities  where  the  American  Army  of  Occupation  in  Germany 
was  stationed,  finally  coming  home  and  "calling  it  a  war" 
late  in  March,  1919. 

Five  girls  appearing  on  the  stage  at  the  same  time  were 
bound  to  be  a  success  in  the  prevailing  psychology  of  the 
A.  E.  F.  But  the  popularity  of  the  Sardine  girls  was  founded 
on  enduring  qualities.  They  seemed  to  turn  up  wherever 
the  fight  was  the  thickest  and  the  need  for  diversion  and 
relaxation  of  overstrained  nerves  was  the  greatest.  When 
the  Twenty-Sixth  Division  took  over  its  first  hard  sector 
from  the  French  on  the  Marne  in  May,  1918,  the  Hearon 
Sisters  played  every  unit  in  the  division,  and  in  the  weeks 
just  before  July  15th,  when  the  morale  of  the  AlHed  Armies 
was  probably  at  its  lowest  ebb,  they  played  every  single 
unit  of  this  crucially  situated  American  division.  General 
Edwards,  the  idolized  Commander  of  the  Twenty-Sixth, 


THE  TROUPERS  IN  ACTION  33 

saw  that  the  girls  made  the  circuit  as  complete  as  possible 
by  sending  them  about  in  one  of  his  own  staff  cars.  Many 
of  the  men  of  the  Yankee  Division  got  their  last  real  mes- 
sage from  home  from  the  plucky  and  laugh-compelhng 
show  put  on  by  this  courageous  quintet.  They  were  on 
hand  at  Chateau-Thierry,  this  time  helping  in  dressing  the 
wounded,  and  giving  impromptu  entertainments  at  the 
first  aid  stations  all  along  that  historic  line. 

In  half  a  score  of  places  the  girls  played  a  good  part  of 
their  show  under  fire.  In  Essey,  for  instance,  where  they 
were  playing  to  a  ballon  squadron,  a  German  shell  fell 
close  to  the  car  in  which  they  were  leaving  the  performance, 
only  missing  them  by  a  miracle;  while  at  Bouillon ville, 
where  they  played  in  a  gun  pit  one  and  a  half  kilometers 
behind  the  lines,  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  very  lively 
artillery  duel  for  the  greater  part  of  their  stay  in  town. 
In  this  town,  which  had  only  recently  been  captured  from 
the  Germans,  they  gave  a  show  at  a  Red  Cross  hut  which 
had  formerly  been  a  German  moving  picture  theatre. 
Half  an  hour  after  their  departure  and  the  dispersal  of 
the  audience  of  over  five  hundred  men,  a  German  airplane 
came  over  and  industriously  machine  gunned  the  town. 
The  next  day  an  officer  counted  over  fifty  bullet  holes  in 
the  roof  of  the  theatre.  The  Hearon  Sisters  were  on  deck 
during  the  St.  Mihiel  drive,  and  carried  up  supplies  to  the 
advance  units  just  before  the  offensive  opened.  They 
were  then  stationed  with  the  First  Division,  and  just  on 
the  day  it  went  into  the  line  they  entertained  the  Sixteenth 
and  Eighteenth  Regiments  of  that  division  all  day. 

On  Dominion  Day,  July  1,  1918,  the  Hearon  Sisters 
were  the  central  attraction  of  the  great  Canadian  celebra- 
tion, and  made  that  patriotic  festival  as  memorable  for 
the  Canadian  soldiers  as  Elsie  Janis  made  the  Fourth  of 
July  eventful  for  the  American  doughboys  in  Paris.  They 
found  time  also  to  put  in  a  week's  intensive  entertaining 
among  the  British  Tommies. 


34  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

That  they  came  out  of  all  these  tireless  months  of  travel- 
ing and  trudging  was  miraculous.  Charlotte  Hearon  was 
severely  injured  while  riding  on  a  truck  near  Verdun,  but 
she  soon  came  back  fit  for  action  again,  and  never  even 
asked  for  a  wound  stripe.  Certainly  the  Hearon  Sisters 
lived  up  to  Winthrop  Ames's  amply  justified  claim  that 
entertainment  was  as  practical  and  vital  an  everyday 
necessity  in  the  American  Army  as  overcoats  and  intrench- 
ing tools,  or  any  other  of  the  indispensable  auxiliaries  to 
a  victory. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  AMES-SOTHERN  RECONNAISSANCE 

^'Strange  things  I  have  in  head,  that  will  to  hand; 
Which  must  he  acted  ere  they  can  he  scanned.'* 

Macbeth. 

Great  events  were  now  brewing  in  both  France  and 
America.  There  was  a  premonition  throughout  the  Amer- 
ican Army  that  things  were  doing,  when  early  in  January, 
1918,  Mr.  Steele  had  arrived  in  Paris  to  take  over  the 
entertainment  service,  and  was  joined  later  in  the  month 
by  Mr.  Johnson  as  his  assistant.  Mr.  Steele  had  arrived 
just  in  time  to  link  up  with  the  first  emissaries  of  the  Amer- 
ican stage  two  of  its  most  distinguished  representatives — 
a  great  producer  and  a  great  actor — Messrs.  Winthrop 
Ames  and  E.  H.  Sothern,  who  arrived  in  France  late  in 
the  month  to  survey  the  whole  entertainment  field  and  to 
report  to  the  theatrical  profession  in  America  what  the 
American  Army  expected  of  them. 

The  Ames-Sothern  mission  is  notable  in  dramatic  his- 
tory. It  originated,  like  most  of  the  important  movements, 
at  the  New  York  end,  from  the  initiative  of  Mr.  McLane. 
A  cablegram  was  received  one  day  bearing  simply  the 
cryptic  message  ''Belmont  suggests  Ames.''  McLane  de- 
cided that  it  meant  in  plain  English  that  Mrs.  August 
Belmont,  who  was  then  in  France,  suggested  Winthrop 
Ames  as  the  ideal  man  to  survey  the  entertainment  problem 
in  France,  and  to  get  what  was  wanted  from  the  American 
stage  to  cover  that  field.  He  communicated  this  suggestion 
to  Mr.  Ames,  who  protested  that  he  was  a  "high  brow," 
but  finally  said,  '1  will  go  if  Ed  Sothern  will."  The  re- 
suit  was  that  Messrs.  Ames  and  Sothern  decided  to  go. 

Throughout  the  American  lines  these  emissaries  of  the 

36 


36  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

American  stage  gave  shows  and  watched  shows,  looked 
over  huts  and  got  out  among  the  men,  conferred  with 
General  Pershing  in  Chaumont  and  with  the  ''Y"  head  in 
Paris,  and  finally  evolved  a  thorough  working  plan,  which 
they  drafted  in  the  form  of  a  report  as  to  what  the  Amer- 
ican theatrical  profession  could  do — and  what  they  were 
determined  to  see  that  it  would  do — to  bring  relaxation 
and  happiness,  and  to  help  hold  up  the  spirits  of  the  Amer- 
ican Army  in  France.  Theorists  had  been  expounding  for 
a  long  time  before  the  spring  of  1918  just  what  kind  of 
entertainment  the  American  Army  in  France  wanted. 
Students  in  crowd  psychology,  military  authorities,  and 
newspaper  writers  had  proposed  various  solutions,  from 
stock  companies  to  programs  exclusively  devoted  to  clog 
dances  and  pretty  girls.  The  splendid  entertainers  who 
had  already  been  sent  over  to  France  were  beginning  to 
report  back  some  real  experience.  But  it  was  from  the 
report  of  Messrs.  Sothern  and  Ames  that  the  astonishingly 
simple  solution  was  finally  and  decisively  learned.  This 
was  that  the  same  show  that  was  good  at  home  was  good 
over  there,  and  that  when  the  really  good  shows  came  to 
camp,  the  S.R.O.  sign  went  up  outside  of  huts  just  as  it 
did  in  a  crowded  theatre  on  the  Great  White  Way. 

Mr.  Sothern  tested  this  out  for  himself  before  huge 
audiences  of  cheering  soldiers.  His  repertoire  in  France 
was  what  is  generally  known  in  the  profession  as  "classical 
heavy, '*  specializing  on  the  immortal  passages  with  which 
he  has  thrilled  a  generation  of  American  audiences.  It 
ranged  from  Petruchio's  boisterous  Elizabethan  advice 
about  handling  women  in  'The  Taming  of  the  Shrew"  to 
Francois  Villon's  romantic  love-making  in  ''If  I  Were  King." 
He  recited  the  great  poems  of  the  War,  "In  Flanders  Fields," 
"Verdun,"  "The  Hun  Is  at  the  Gate,"  "The  Landlord's 
Daughter,"  and  the  stirring  war  songs  of  Alan  Seeger  and 
Paul  Scott  Mowrer.  Besides  this,  Mr.  Sothern  discovered 
in  himself  an  altogether  new  talent — he  told  stories. 


THE  AMES-SOTHERN  RECONNAISSANCE  37 

Standing  on  the  dark  and  shaky  stages  of  the  little  huts, 
Mr.  Sothem  found  in  these  rows  and  rows  of  sturdy,  brave, 
attentive  faces  the  greatest  audiences  of  his  lifetime.  In- 
stead of  polite  handclapping,  he  was  greeted  with  cheers, 
pounding,  stamping  of  feet,  and  real  American  yells.  His 
programs  were  always  followed  by  friendly  handshakes, 
long  comradely  talks,  and  an  exchange  of  war  yams  for 
the  latest  stories  from  home,  hours  which  made  Mr.  Sothern, 
in  a  way  neither  he  nor  his  audiences  can  ever  forget,  a  real 
member  of  the  A.  E.  F. 

Sometimes  the  effect  of  the  performance  was  greatly 
heightened  by  the  unexpected  thrills  which  were  always 
lurking  about  at  the  front.  One  night  Mr.  Sothem  was 
doing  a  recitation  from  ^'Hamlet,"  in  a  towTi  where  the  Grer- 
man  airmen  often  put  over  a  different  kind  of  entertain- 
ment. The  actor  had  just  got  to  that  impressive  point, 
following  the  murder  of  Polonius,  where  the  Queen  says, 
''O,  what  a  rash  and  bloody  deed  is  this,"  when  a  soldier 
stuck  his  head  in  the  half  Ughted  room  and  yelled,  "Air 
raid,  lights  out."  Out  went  the  lights  and  the  audience 
sat  perfectly  still  in  the  dark  except  for  the  ominous  mur- 
mur that  arises  from  several  hundred  men  in  a  state  of 
considerable  tension.  Then  a  sharp  voice  rang  out  in  the 
ColoneFs  well  known  tones,  "Attention!  Turn  on  one 
light  on  the  stage.  We  have  air  raids  every  night,  but  we 
don't  have  Mr.  Sothem.  Mr.  Sothern,  would  you  mind 
going  on  with  your  readings?"  So  Mr.  Sothem  continued, 
''O,  what  a  rash  and  bloody  deed  is  this,"— "I'll  tell  the 
world,"  sang  out  a  doughboy's  voice  from  the  dark.  The 
spontaneous  laugh  which  followed  broke  the  tension  and 
the  show  went  on.  This  is  probably  the  only  time  that 
this  solemn  speech  from  "Hamlet"  ever  "got  a  laugh"— 
and  deserved  it. 

On  another  occasion,  Mr.  Sothem's  automobile  passed 
through  an  intensive  homemade  barrage  coming  from  an 
American   ammunition   dump   which   had   just  been   hit, 


38  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

and  which  was  going  off  in  all  directions.  His  car  con- 
tinued, however,  and  finally  landed  him  in  an  old  chateau. 
Climbing  up  to  the  second  floor,  he  found  a  large  room 
filled  with  doughboys  and  officers,  waiting  for  him  in  the 
midst  of  this  weird  scene.  Two  candles  on  the  mantle- 
piece  gave  the  only  illumination.  All  the  windows  were 
boarded  up.  The  audience  sat  on  camp  stools  and  boxes, 
or  lay  about  the  floor.  Such  was  the  setting  in  which  he 
recited  Alan  Seeger^s  poems,  nor  could  that  heroic  soldier 
poet  himself  have  wished  a  better  one. 

At  another  time,  Sothem  found  himself  in  the  cellar 
of  a  ruined  house,  before  two  himdred  men  with  their  steel 
helmets  and  gas  masks,  and  only  one  sputtering  candle 
for  illumination.  Here  he  decided  that  recitations  on 
Verdun  and  heroism  were  out  of  order  and  that  the  only 
thing  to  do  with  these  men  was  to  talk  to  them.  Sitting 
down  in  the  midst  of  the  bunch,  he  told  stories  about 
Kankakee  and  Cincinnati  and  Broadway,  and  the  folks 
back  home  in  that  country  about  which  every  boy  had 
agreed  that  there  was  only  one  real  slogan — ''See  America 
First." 


The  gallant  little  party  went  everywhere.  Mr.  Ames 
made  the  arrangements  and  saw  and  studied  everything 
from  the  S.O.S.  to  the  front.  In  Bordeaux  Mr.  Sothem 
put  on  four  shows,  including  a  special  performance  for 
the  Negro  stevedores  which  w.as  perhaps  the  most  enthusi- 
astically applauded  show  of  the  whole  trip.  Everywhere 
they  found  doughboys  who  had  been  scene  shifters,  actors, 
property  men,  advance  agents,  and  other  acquaintances  in 
the  brotherhood  of  the  stage.  They  dined  with  General 
Pershing  and  received  from  him  a  cordial  and  personal 
approbation  of  their  foster  child,  the  Over  There  Theatre 
League. 

Mr.  Steele  made  practically  the  whole  trip  with  them, 


THE  AMES-SOTHERN  RECONNAISSANCE  39 

and  his  enthusiastic  and  tactful  collaboration  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  harmonious  relations  which  prevailed 
in  the  months  that  followed  between  the  entertainers  and 
the  directing  heads  of  the  *'Y." 

Mr.  Ames  spoke  to  the  men  on  many  occasions,  and 
caught  at  first  hand  the  splendid  spirit  of  the  audiences 
he  was  going  back  to  supply  with  the  best  talent  of  the 
American  stage.  Doughboys  who  met  the  party  on  their 
tour  aroimd  France  remember  them  with  humorous  affec- 
tion, for  the  distinguished  travelers  were  encountering  for 
the  first  time  the  wreck  that  the  War  had  made  of  the 
French  railway  service.  Hot  water  bags,  thermos  bottles, 
cushions,  and  other  signs  of  a  desperate  attempt  to  be 
comfortable  protruded  at  various  angles  from  their  baggage. 

Later  in  the  year  Mr.  Sothem  gave  in  England  one  other 
set  of  impromptu  performances  which  deserved  special 
mention.  This  was  in  August,  1918,  when  American 
wounded,  following  the  generous  invitation  of  the  British 
authorities,  had  abeady  begim  to  arrive  in  British  hos- 
pitals. Mr.  Sothern  on  this  occasion  made  a  special  tour 
of  Great  Britain,  giving  not  only  Shakespearian  readings 
but  real  performances  wherever  possible,  in  company 
with  Miss  Mary  Anderson,  the  famous  and  beloved  Shake- 
spearian actress,  and  Ben  Greet,  leader  of  the  Ben  Greet 
Shakespearian  Players.  The  party  played  imder  all  sorts 
of  circumstances,  from  a  "real"  show  at  the  Eagle  Hut 
in  London  to  an  improvised  string  of  scenes  which  was 
put  on  at  the  big  hospital  near  Evesham. 

This  last  show  was  one  of  the  greatest  examples  of  what 
an  actor  can  do  with  nothing  to  work  with.  The  play  was 
"Macbeth,''  and  the  stage  was  a  kind  of  scaffolding  across 
one  end  of  a  room.  There  was  an  erratic  curtain  but  no 
footlights,  no  scenery,  no  properties.  The  company  finally 
cut  the  property  list  down  to  five  items,  as  follows:  Two 
blood-stained  daggers,  a  saucer  of  blood  (or  rather,  two 
saucers  in  case  one  got  spilled  or  lost),  a  bell,  and  the  mechan- 


40  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

ism  for  producing  ''the  dull  ominous  knocking  at  the  gate." 
Sir  John  Hare,  the  famous  English  actor,  whose  daughter 
Miss  Mollie  Hare  played  one  of  the  parts,  volunteered  to 
supply  the  knocking,  and  contrived  for  that  function  a 
croquet  mallet  swathed  in  a  silk  scarf.  The  only  exit  door 
was  very  considerably  lowered  by  planking,  and  there  was 
a  precarious  passage  off  the  stage,  ending  in  one  plank 
through  the  door.  As  a  result  Mr.  Sothern,  engrossed  with 
his  lines,  smartly  banged  his  head  against  the  door  every 
time  he  entered  the  stage  and  every  time  he  left.  His 
most  effective  exit,  however,  was  on  the  occasion  when, 
as  Macbeth,  he  escorted  the  weeping  Lady  Macbeth  off 
the  stage.  At  this  great  moment  Macbeth  walked  the 
plank  one  step  too  far  to  the  left  and  disappeared  amid 
some  confusion,  only  to  clamber  back  again  and  make  a 
dignified  exit,  while  the  house  maintained  a  sympathetic 
silence.  The  dark  and  creepy  murder  of  Duncan  had  to 
be  contrived  in  the  broad  sunshine,  there  being  no  foot- 
lights. The  great  scene  where  Macbeth  is  surprised  by  the 
knocking  at  the  gate  found  Macbeth  waiting  on  the  stage 
in  an  agonized  attitude,  for  there  was  no  knocking.  Sir 
John  Hare  was  reading  the  manuscript  and  all  signs  failed 
to  disturb  him.  Finally  Lady  Macbeth,  from  behind  the 
scenes,  stamped  her  foot  three  times,  whereat  Macbeth 
gave  the  required  guilty  start.  Just  then  the  mallet,  not 
to  be  denied  its  part,  protruded  in  full  view  of  the  audience, 
gave  three  solemn  knocks,  and  was  stealthily  withdrawn. 

The  audience,  according  to  Mr.  Sothern,  was  the  most 
chivalrous  aggregation  that  ever  listened  to  Shakespeare. 
Their  chance  to  be  magnanimous  came  when  a  messenger, 
who  had  carefully  rehearsed  the  part  of  announcing  the 
coming  of  the  king,  violently  knocked  his  head  on  enter- 
ing the  stage,  and  then  said  in  a  strange  voice,  "The  king 
comes  here  tonight."  Lady  Macbeth  duly  replied,  "Thou'rt 
mad  to  say  it."  Whereupon  the  messenger  rendered  a 
perfectly  good  Shakespearian  speech  thus:  "So  please  you. 


THE  AMES-SOTHERN  RECONNAISSANCE  41 

it  is  true.    One  of  our  fellows  told  me  about  it,  who  could 
scarcely  speak  because  he  was  dead." 

Mr.  Sothem  admits  that  this  performance  was  not  far 
short  of  that  classic  situation  of  melodrama  when  the 
villain  stands  before  the  firing  squad,  but  to  the  command 
"Fire"  only  a  series  of  feeble  clicks  replies.  Somebody  has 
forgotten  the  cartridges.  But  the  villain  must  die.  "My 
God,"  suddenly  cries  the  doomed  man,  "I  have  broken 
my  neck,"  and  so  he  falls  dead. 

The  Sothern-Ames  party  returned  to  New  York  in  the 
middle  of  April,  1918,  with  the  material  for  a  fruitful  and 
inspiring  message  for  the  American  stage,  and  with  a  vivid 
idea  of  the  splendid  democracy  of  service  overseas.  One 
of  the  ways  in  which  the  latter  conception  got  home  to 
them  may  be  told  in  the  following  anecdote.  One  day 
Mr.  Sothem,  who  had  noticed  for  a  long  time  that  his 
chauffeur  seemed  exceptional,  asked  him  what  he  did  in 
the  States. 

"My  name  is  Danforth,"  was  the  reply,  "William  H. 
Danforth.  I'm  from  Missouri,"  and  he  named  a  nationally 
known  cereal  miUing  company. 

"Maybe  they  will  promote  me,"  said  Mr.  Danforth,  in 
answer  to  Mr.  Sothem^s  inquiries  as  to  why  he  did  not 
ask  for  work  more  in  his  line,  "but  if  they  don't,  I  am 
going  to  stick  to  this  job  for  the  duration  of  the  War." 

"Well,  that  is  the  best  recruiting  story  I  ever  heard," 
said  Mr.  Sothem,  "I  will  use  it  on  the  actors."    And  he  did. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  STAGE  CALLED  TO  ARMS 

"//  it  were  done  when  'tis  done,  then  Hwere  well 
It  were  done  quickly.  " 

Macbeth. 

When  Messrs.  Ames  and  Sothem  returned  to  America, 
the  great  German  offensive  of  March  21,  1918,  had  al- 
ready broken  upon  the  AlHed  Armies.  The  terrible  shadow 
of  that  spring  impelled  every  American  to  seek  the  means 
readiest  and  nearest  to  him  to  back  up  the  Army.  Amid 
this  general  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and  deepening  loyalty, 
Messrs.  Ames  and  Sothem  confidently  prepared  their 
appeal  to  the  theatrical  profession.  The  arrival  "home" 
of  the  Sothem-Ames  mission,  with  its  message  to  the 
American  stage,  and  the  scenes  which  followed  form  in 
themselves  a  drama  of  American  spirit  and  American  charac- 
ter. They  returned  to  America  with  a  definite  purpose 
and  plan  by  which  through  eighteen  months  of  unstinted 
work  the  American  stage  was  to  serve  the  Army. 

"The  opportunity  for  the  American  stage  and  lyceum 
to  do  a  great  service  in  standing  back  of  the  men  behind 
the  guns — behind  the  American  doughboys — is  without 
parallel,"  announced  Messrs.  Sothern  and  Ames  on  their 
return  home.  "The  first  step  is  to  prepare  the  way,  under 
the  'Y,'  by  erecting  'war  theatres'  or  auditoriums  through- 
out the  war  areas."  It  was  proposed  to  grade  all  the  halls 
in  France  to  meet  the  needs;  to  concentrate  on  plans  for 
a  great  chain  of  small,  home-like,  standardized  theatres 
where  700  soldiers  could  easily  be  within  sight  and  hearing 
of  the  stage;  and  then  to  recruit  from  the  American  stage 
and  lyceum  every  man  and  woman  who  could  go  "over 
there"  to  do  his  or  her  "bit." 

42 


THE  STAGE  CALLED  TO  ARMS  43 

Messrs.  Sothern  and  Ames  brought  home  a  specimen 
itinerary  on  which  American  entertainers  could  spend 
ten  weeks  in  France  for  the  back  areas,  and  a  similar  period 
for  the  front,  so  as  to  cover  the  maximum  amount  of  terri- 
tory. This  report  suggested  a  plan  to  supply  trained 
dramatic  coaches  for  the  soldier  shows,  which  were  even 
then  breaking  out  everywhere.  It  also  communicated  the 
vivid  impression  of  its  authors  of  the  great  need  for  plays 
of  all  kinds  in  manuscript  and  synopsis  form,  for  grease 
paint,  false  mustaches,  rouge,  and  the  hundred  other 
props  and  accessories  of  the  make-beheve  world,  required 
for  minstrel  shows  and  costume  nights;  to  relieve,  if  only 
for  an  occasional  evening,  the  strain  and  tension  of  war. 


On  the  night  of  April  6,  1918,  at  the  Metropolitan  Club, 
Mr.  McLane  gave  a  dinner  to  the  Sothern-Ames  mission, 
which  was  in  the  nature  of  a  preliminary  conference.  Among 
the  guests  were  Daniel  Frohman,  the  great  producer,  E.  F. 
Albee,  head  of  the  B.  F.  Keith  enterprises  and  dean  of 
vaudeville,  George  W.  Perkins,  General  T.  Coleman  Du 
Pont,  C.  W.  McAlpin,  John  Sherman  Hoyt,  Harold  I. 
Pratt,  and  William  Sloane,  Chairman  of  the  National 
War  Work  Council.  In  the  midst  of  this  group,  Mr.  Sothern 
told  his  story  with  an  eloquence  and  a  conviction  which 
swept  all  before  him.  Mr.  Ames  followed  his  colleague's 
vivid  portrayal  of  the  need  "over  there,"  with  an  account 
of  the  inspiring  suggestions  which  they  had  devised  to 
begin  the  work. 

The  next  step  was  to  mobilize  the  managers.  Mr.  Ames 
gave  a  dinner  at  Sherry's,  the  old  Fifth  Avenue  rendezvous 
which  passed  with  the  War,  to  every  prominent  manager 
who  could  be  reached  on  short  notice.  George  M.  Cohan 
came,  and  Marc  Klaw,  Abraham  Erlanger,  Lee  Shubert, 
Daniel  Frohman,  E.  F.  Albee,  and  many  others.  Mrs. 
August  Belmont,  who  had  just  arrived  from  France,  reen- 


44  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

forced  Mr.  Ames's  appeal  for  prompt  action,  and  the  only 
question  the  meeting  had  to  discuss  was  what  to  do  and 
how  soon  to  begin. 

The  American  managers  rose  magnificently  to  the  occa- 
sion. They  guaranteed  their  full  cooperation  not  only  to 
release  every  actor  who  wanted  to  go  to  France,  but  to 
put  their  weight  behind  a  great  mass  meeting  of  the  theatri- 
cal profession  which  would  be  a  stirring  call  to  service 
for  every  actor  in  America.  Before  the  dinner  was  fin- 
ished, the  Over  There  Theatre  League  was  christened. 


Original  Proclamation 

New  York,  April  17,  1918. 
Mr.  E,  H.  Sothem  and  Mr.  Winthrop  Ames  have  re- 
turned from  a  three  months'  tour  through  the  American 
camps  in  France.  They  report  that  entertainment,  and 
particularly  entertainment  sent  from  ''home,''  is  vital  to 
the  morale  of  our  troops  there.  They  bring  a  message 
from  General  Pershing  emphasizing  the  need. 

The  opportunity  has  come  for  our  men  and  women  of 
the  stage  to  serve,  in  person,  our  soldiers  abroad. 

This  opportunity  for  service  is  so  important  that  we 

feel  it  should  be  put  before  the  American  Theatre  as  a  whole. 

Will  you  not  attend  a  meeting  at  the  Palace  Theatre 

on  Tuesday  Morning,  April  23rd,  at  eleven  o'clock,   to 

consider  the  situation? 

Mr.  Sothem  and  Mr.  Ames  will  describe  the  conditions 
in  France. 
The  need  is  urgent.    We  bespeak  your  presence. 
E.  F.  Albee 

(The  B.  F.  Keith  Circuit  of  Theatres) 
George  M.  Cohan 

(Abbot  of  'The  Friars") 
Rachel  Crothers 

(President  "Stage  Women's  War  Relief") 
Walter  Damrosch 

(President  "Musicians'  Club") 
Charles  B.  Dillingham 
(Captain  N.  A.) 


fu^%7r^  ^ 


You  are  mistaken,  you  who  think  the  life  of  an  entertainer  was  one  of 
luxury  and  ease  and  floating  about  in  a  limousine.  You  see  here  a  common 
occurrence — the  sore-throated  and  wet-footed  soprano,  ruining  her  voice  for 
the  sake  of  her  country,  while  the  young  gallant  shields  her  with  his  mar- 
velous find — ^yes,  an  umbrella — unheard  of  in  the  A.E.F.,  but  miraculously 
produced  by  that  astonishing  and  obliging  wonder  of  humanity,  a  doughboy. 


THE  STAGE  CALLED  TO  ARMS  46 

John  Drew 

(President  "The  Players") 
Daniel  Frohman 

(President  "Actors'  Fund  of  America") 
Joseph  Grismer 

(Shepherd  of  "The  Lambs") 
Marc  Klaw 

(Klaw  and  Erlanger) 
Willard  Mack 

(President  "National  Vaudeville  Artists") 
Lee  Shubert 

(President  "Shubert  Theatrical  Company") 
Augustus  Thomas 

(President  "American  Dramatists  and  Composers") 
Francis  Wilson 

(President  "Actors'  Equity  Association") 

The  scene  now  changes  to  the  Palace  Theatre,  in  the 
heart  of  America's  dramatic  world.  "The  actors  are  going 
to  recruit  for  the  War."  This  was  the  word  along  the 
Great  White  Way.  Thousands  of  actors  from  every  nation 
were  fighting  in  the  ranks  of  all  the  armies.  Tens  of  thou- 
sands of  professional  musicians  were  in  the  trenches  as  com- 
mon soldiers.  The  flower  of  the  British  stage,  the  artists  of 
France,  the  actors  and  musicians  of  Italy  were  in  the  ranks. 

At  last  the  hour  had  struck  for  the  American  artists. 
It  was  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  23,  1918. 
The  Palace  Theatre  was  crowded  with  the  greatest  gather- 
ing of  actors  "before  the  footUghts"  in  the  history  of  the 
profession.  More  than  2,200  theatrical  folk  stormed  the 
doors,  filled  every  available  seat,  crowded  the  boxes,  and 
even  sat  in  the  aisles.  Mr.  E.  F.  Albee,  head  of  the  Keith 
Circuit,  was  host  of  the  occasion  in  the  finest  of  his  great 
chain  of  theatres.  He  raised  his  hand  for  order  and  named 
George  M.  Cohan  chairman.  Mr.  Cohan,  hero  of  a  life- 
time of  patriotic  hits,  but  never  so  much  as  on  this  occasion 
the  leader  of  real  patriotic  public  spirit  among  his  profession, 
brought  the  audience  sharply  to  the  seriousness  of  the 
task  in  hand  with  a  few  trenchant  words. 


46  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

"General  Pershing,"  he  announced,  "has  called  upon 
the  actor  to  line  up  with  the  rest  of  the  manhood  and 
womanhood  of  America,  and  now  is  the  time  to  send  him 
his  answer." 

"I  say  to  General  Pershing,"  exclaimed  Cohan,  "that 
whatever  he  wants  from  us  we  are  ready  to  give  him." 

This  was  the  keynote  appeal;  the  audience  broke  into 
its  first  cheer.    He  read  the  following  telegram: 

"I  learn  with  greatest  interest  of  the  work  you  are  under- 
taking in  collaboration  with  Mr.  E.  H.  Sothern  and  Mr. 
Winthrop  Ames.  It  has  my  most  cordial  approval  and  I  wish 
you  the  best  possible  success.  It  is  a  big  undertaking,  but  I 
have  no  doubt  you  will  accomplish  it. — Woodrow  Wilson." 

There  was  no  doubt  of  the  stand  of  the  American  actors 
in  the  World  War.  The  response  came  from  all  parts  of 
the  house.  They  spoke  from  the  audience,  from  boxes, 
and  from  the  stage — but  all  spoke  to  a  house  imbued  with 
an  electric  spirit  of  sympathetic  enthusiasm. 

The  dean  of  American  dramatists,  Augustus  Thomas — 
the  only  American  dramatist  to  have  been  honored  with 
an  election  to  the  presidency  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Arts  and  Letters — stood  before  the  assembled  actors. 

"I  came  this  early  because  I  have  to  leave  to  take  the 
train  for  Boston  where  I  am  doing  some  government  work," 
he  explained.  "I  regret  not  being  able  to  remain  here 
and  see  the  inspiriting  sight  that  I  know  all  who  will  be  here 
will  witness.  The  War  has  done  a  great  deal  to  turn  over 
old  opinions,"  continued  the  dramatist.  "It  has  brought  a 
great  many  changes  in  our  social  fabric,  and  is  bringing 
a  great  one  to  the  theatre  and  the  status  of  the  theatre. 
We  of  the  theatre  come  into  the  field  with  our  contribu- 
tion as  one  of  the  most  effective  in  the  whole  push  behind 
the  drive.  We  are  not  especially  renowned  as  business 
men,  and  a  lot  of  us  make  bad  contracts.  The  world  does 
not  call  upon  us  when  it  wants  to  revise  its  philosophy, 
but  business  and  logic  are  not  the  only  things  in  this  life. 


THE  STAGE  CALLED  TO  ARMS  47 

The  great  thing  is  the  spiritual  ^ect  and  nothing  is  done 
at  all  where  the  emotions  are  not  stirred.  Now  in  that 
field  of  emotional  stir,  we  do  not  take  off  our  bonnet  to 
anybody.  That  is  our  reason  for  being.  That  is  the  thing 
in  which  we  specialize  and  we  are  going  to  go  into  this 
whole-heartedly,  and  the  whole  theatrical  community  is 
going  into  it." 

Mr.  Thomas,  knowing  full  well  the  soul  of  the  actor, 
then  prophesied: 

^'I  know  when  the  proper  time  comes — and  this  meeting 
is  called  on  for  volunteers — that  there  will  be  a  wonderful 
sight.  I  am  reminded  of  the  captain  who  had  come  to 
his  company  for  volunteers.  He  was  talking  to  his  line 
of  fine  young  fellows.  He  told  them  he  wanted  three, 
but  that  if  one  went  through  the  work  would  be  done. 
He  did  not  disguise  the  danger.  He  said,  'Now  I  want  the 
men  who  will  volunteer  to  step  out  one  pace.'  As  he  thought 
of  what  they  were  going  into,  he  momentarily  crossed  his 
hands  over  his  eyes.  'Not  one  volunteer?'  The  whole 
line  had  stepped  out  one  pace." 

Mr.  Sothern  stepped  to  the  edge  of  the  stage.  He  has 
appeared  for  a  quarter  century  before  distinguished  audi- 
ences, but  never  before  a  gathering  of  celebrities  such  as 
greeted  him  here. 

"A  very  great  distinction,  as  Mr.  Thomas  has  just  told 
you,  has  been  conferred  upon  our  calling,"  he  said.  ''It 
is  very  important  that  you  should  be  aware  in  the  beginning 
of  the  origin  of  this  meeting.  In  the  middle  of  December 
a  message  was  conveyed  by  Mr.  McLane  of  the  Y  M  C  A 
to  Mr.  Ames  here  in  New  York,  from  General  Pershing. 
It  appears  that  General  Pershing,  in  consultation  with  Mr. 
E.  C.  Carter,  General  Secretary  of  the  Y  M  C  A  in  Paris, 
stated  that  it  was  very  necessary  to  aid  and  uplift  the 
spirits  of  the  forces  at  the  front  by  some  formulated  plan, 
preferably  from  the  profession  of  entertainment  from  this 
country.     Mr.  Ames  was  appealed  to,  and  he  asked  me 


48  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

if  I  would  care  to  look  over  the  ground.  We  had  very  little 
time  to  call  a  mass  meeting  of  our  fellows.  We  just  got 
on  board  a  steamer  and  we  went.  The  object  was  to  find 
out  under  what  conditions  entertainment  could  be  given 
to  the  troops  in  France." 

The  master  of  the  art  of  Shakespeare  here  related  some 
of  his  experiences: 

'^We  went  to  the  American  front  and  to  the  British 
front,"  he  said,  "and  we  brought  back,  I  beheve,  a  very 
complete  report  of  what  the  condition  is  and  how  we  are 
able  to  serve.  I  need  not  tell  you  with  what  pride  Mr. 
Ames  and  I  went  upon  this  mission.  I  felt  that  the  call- 
ing of  which  we  are  very  happy  to  be  members,  had  been 
very  distinctly  honored. 

"The  necessity  of  entertainment  at  the  front  becomes 
very  obvious  when  you  land  amongst  the  forces — ^when 
you  perceive  their  life,  the  conditions  under  which  they 
live,  the  monotony  of  their  existence.  The  vehicle  for  this 
service  is  necessarily  in  the  hands  of  the  Y  M  C  A.  They 
have  built  at  the  front,  as  Mr.  Ames  will  shortly  explain 
to  you,  a  great  number  of  buildings  which  are  called  huts. 
In  these  buildings,  which  are  the  club,  the  general  meeting 
place  for  prayer,  for  gatherings  of  all  organizations,  these 
performances  will  have  to  take  place.  The  Y  M  C  A,  there- 
fore, becomes  the  inevitable  place  where  these  performances, 
we  hope,  will  be  held." 

"The  situation  of  the  American  forces  is  more  difficult 
than  that  of  the  French  or  the  English,"  Mr.  Sothern 
explained.  "The  Englishman  can  go  home  to  England. 
He  is  content  with  what  small  entertainment  is  provided 
amongst  his  own  fellows.  The  same  conditions  prevail 
amongst  the  French.  They  also  can  visit  their  homes 
occasionally.  Our  men  will  not  come  back  to  this  country 
until  the  War  is  over;  it  may  last  for  two  or  three  years, 
and  then  they  may  not  come  back  to  this  country  until 
eighteen  months  after  the  War  is  over." 


THE  STAGE  CALLED  TO  ARMS  49 

Mr.  Sothern  dramatically  presented  some  of  the  scenes 
which  he  had  witnessed  along  the  battle  front. 

"We,  who  have  traveled  all  over  this  country,  and  have 
been  known  to  all  the  boys  in  the  Army  more  or  less,  know 
that  the  desire  they  have  for  some  thread  with  their  homes 
is  very  pathetic.  You  find  them  sitting  in  the  huts  looking 
at  the  women  canteen  workers  with  the  greatest  longing. 
They  sit  around  dumb,  with  their  eyes  full  of  wonder  and 
full  of  affection  which  they  dare  not  express. 

''This  anecdote  is  very  familiar  in  the  huts,  and  has 
occurred  again  and  again.  A  boy,  after  watching  one  of 
the  women  canteen  workers  for  days  and  days,  will  edge 
his  way  up  to  the  counter  where  the  ^Y'  woman  is  serving. 
She  will  ask,  'Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you?'  The 
boy  will  look  very  sheepish  and  say,  'No,  lady,  I  just  wanted 
to  hear  you  talk.' 

"When  I  was  about  to  go  on  this  mission  with  Mr.  Ames, 
I  confided  my  purpose  to  a  friend.  He  immediately  began 
to  smile  and  said:  'This  is  the  first  time  that  I  ever  heard 
that  fighting  men  found  it  necessary  to  carry  about  their 
company  of  comedians.'  He  had  not  been  recalling  his 
history,  because  there  was  a  time  when  distinguished 
monarchs  took  their  dancing  girls  and  accompanying 
vaudeville  teams  on  all  their  military  expeditions." 

And  here  the  great  classical  actor  paid  an  historic  tribute 
to  the  vaudeville  stage — to  the  man  who  can  tell  a  story, 
to  the  girl  who  can  sing  the  latest  jazz  music  and  "do  a 
dance,"  to  the  fellow  who  can  play  the  banjo,  to  the  in- 
imitable "all-evening-by-himself  vaudevillian." 

"Those  of  us  who  have  taken  part  merely  in  plays  will 
have  to  learn  a  very  important  lesson  from  our  brothers 
and  sisters  in  vaudeville,"  said  Sothern.  "When  we  get 
over,  we  shall  find  conditions  of  such  a  nature  that  we 
shall  not  be  able  to  perform  our  plays.  I  am  stating  the 
facts  of  my  own  experience  when  I  tell  you  that  I  was 
practically  useless  for  entertainment.     I  went  to  investi- 


50  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

gate,  but  I  was  very  eager  to  entertain  and  consequently 
I  persuaded  myself  to  recite,  a  thing  I  have  never  done 
before  in  my  life.  I  am  sure  I  did  not  do  it  very  well. 
There  was  no  stage.  I  got  on  tables  and  on  counters  and 
I  stood  amongst  the  soldiers  and  did  what  I  could.  I  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  being  supported  by  a  company.  I 
have  never  been  able,  as  the  vaudeville  artists  so  brilliantly 
do,  to  get  up  and  entertain  by  myself.  But  you  will  be 
called  upon  to  do  it  and  if  you  are  not  able  to  do  it  now, 
the  thing  to  do  is  to  get  to  work  and  learn.  I  am  very  sure 
that  those  qualities  that  have  enabled  you  to  distinguish 
yourself  in  the  theatre  proper  will  enable  you  to  do  some- 
thing worth  while  which  is  important. 

"When  I  arrived  in  France  and  contemplated  what  the 
YMCA  was  doing,"  continued  Mr.  Sothern,  *'I  was  en- 
tirely overwhelmed,  as  were  Mr.  Ames  and  Mrs.  Ames, 
who  accompanied  us.  The  function  that  the  YMCA 
fulfills  in  France  is  one  of  the  most  amazing  and  most 
difficult  accomphshments  that  you  can  possibly  imagine. 
That  also  Mr.  Ames  will  explain  to  you.  I  merely  wish  to 
offer  my  own  tribute  to  the  activities  which  are  carried 
on  at  the  front  by  the  YMCA  and  to  plead  on  behalf  of  the 
YMCA  that  you  will  recognize  in  it  the  inevitable  help, 
the  great  instrument  with  which  you  are  favored  in  ful- 
filling this  service.  May  I  humbly  plead  with  you  to 
respond  to  the  appeals  that  are  going  to  be  made  to  you? 
I  should  be  very  proud  if  any  work  of  mine  could  induce 
you  to  such  a  response.  If  I  can  induce  you  to  go  over 
there  and  stay  over  there  until  all  is  over,  over  there,  I 
shall  be  very  happy  to  have  contributed  to  the  result." 


And  right  here  let  us  ring  down  the  curtain — not  that 
the  curtain  was  rung  down,  for  it  was  a  continuous  per- 
formance— but  the  ovation  literally  ''stopped  the  show." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  MESSAGE  FROM  FRANCE 

''Stand  not  upon  the  order  x)f  your  going, 
But  go  at  once.*' 

Macbeth. 

As  the  curtain  rises  on  what  we  may  call  the  second 
spectacular  scene  in  the  national  drama  at  the  Palace 
Theatre  on  this  April  morning  of  1918,  we  find  Winthrop 
Ames  occupying  the  center  of  the  stage.  Home  from  the 
battle  front,  Mr.  Ames  told  his  experiences  in  France. 
With  Mr.  Sothem  and  Mr.  McLane — "the  power  behind 
the  throne" — he  completed  the  triumvirate  which  became 
the  "godfathers  of  the  American  stage"  in  the  world 
conflict. 

"Nobody  can  say  that  our  profession  hasn't  done  its 
full  share  in  this  war,"  he  exclaimed.  "Actors  have  given 
their  services  and  managers  have  given  their  theatres  for 
benefit  after  benefit.  Our  work  for  the  Liberty  Loans  has 
probably  exceeded  that  of  any  other  profession.  I  think 
one  cause  of  our  eagerness  has  been  a  secret  feeling  that 
in  this  world  crisis  entertainment  had  no  vital  place.  The 
farmer,  the  manufacturer  of  munitions,  and  the  shoemaker 
can  each  see  the  direct  need  of  his  work.  But  the  artist 
— the  painter,  the  actor,  and  the  singer — ^somehow  couldn't 
see  any  direct  use  for  his  personal  service  except  as  an 
advertiser  of  some  other  fellow's  efforts.  I  think  in  our 
hearts  we've  felt  a  little  out  of  it." 

At  this  moment  Mr.  Ames  delivered  the  message  that 
he  had  brought  home  from  General  Pershing. 

"I've  just  come  back  from  France,"  he  declared,  "and 
I  can  tell  you,  as  a  fact  beyond  dispute,  that  entertain- 

61 


52  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

ment  is  not  a  luxury  to  the  modern  man.  Once  deprive 
him  of  it,  even  for  a  little  time,  and  he  learns  that  it  is  a 
necessity  as  vital  to  him  as  sugar  in  his  food.  We  actors 
make  something  that  is  as  needful  in  this  war  as  overcoats 
or  shovels.  And  at  last  our  opportunity  has  come  to  serve 
— not  through  some  other  fellow  any  longer,  but  in  person 
— to  fight  side  by  side  with  our  soldiers,  to  enter  actively 
the  service  of  America's  Army  in  France." 

Mr.  Ames  thus  explained  the  situation  as  it  confronted 
him  in  France: 

"In  France  there  are  two  organizations  that  are  the 
right  and  left  hands  of  the  American  Army,  accredited  by 
and  working  under  its  control — the  Red  Cross  and  the 
Y  M  C  A.  Both  are  semi-militarized,  and  the  functions  of 
each  are  assigned  by  military  order.  You  will  be  prac- 
tically in  army  service  and  subject  to  its  discipline.  In- 
deed, I  have  no  doubt  that  if  any  of  your  performances 
over  there  should  be  bad  enough  to  warrant  it,  the  officers 
in  conamand  might  order  you  out  and  have  you  shot  at 
dawn." 

Vividly  he  pictured  the  exigencies  of  war  and  its  demands : 

"You  must  wear  the  Y  M  C  A  uniform,  not  only  because 
you  belong  to  the  entertainment  organization,  but  be- 
cause you'd  have  as  much  chance  of  getting  about  the 
camps  in  civilian  dress  as  a  convict  in  stripes  would  have 
of  strolling  down  Broadway. 

"I  think  you  will  get  very  fond  of  that  uniform,  and 
may  be  pretty  proud  of  it  before  you've  worn  it  long," 
he  exclaimed.  "It  is  a  badge  of  service  to  the  soldier  that 
he  has  grown  to  esteem  and  respect.  When  I  got  back  to 
New  York  and  passed  our  boys  in  the  street  I  missed 
it  when  they  didn't  smile  and  say  ^Hello,'  as  they  almost 
always  did  when  I  was  in  uniform  over  there.  And  my 
wife  particularly  missed  the  half  affectionate  greeting 
^Hello,  "Y,"  '  which  is  their  pet  name  for  women  in  that 
service." 


A  MESSAGE  FROM  FRANCE  53 

The  speaker  told  how  he  found  wearing  that  uniform 
abroad  presidents  of  big  manufacturing  concerns,  bankers, 
and  college  presidents,  and  all  sorts  of  other  men,  many 
of  whom  had  given  up  large  incomes  and  big  positions 
for  the  duration  of  the  War. 

''You  will  find  them  in  the  huts,"  he  said,  "getting  up 
at  daybreak,  making  their  own  beds,  and  spending  the 
day  selling  cigarettes,  sweeping  the  floors,  and  moving 
heavy  benches  for  your  evening  performance.  In  one  of 
the  huts  I  met  a  woman  canteen  worker  whom  I  had  known 
in  New  York.  The  last  time  I  saw  her  here,  she  gave  me 
a  lift  in  her  limousine.  There  were  two  men  on  the  box 
and  she  was  wearing  the  finest  sable  coat  I  ever  saw.  In 
France,  she  was  standing  behind  a  counter,  wearing  a  soiled 
uniform,  and  doling  out  letter  paper.  When  she  shook 
hands  with  me,  her  hands  were  chapped  and  red  from 
days  spent  in  washing  chocolate  cups.  And  she  told  me 
she  had  never  been  so  happy  in  her  life." 

Many  dramatic  scenes  to  be  expected  in  the  life  of  a 
volunteer  American,  making  the  voyage  to  France  to  ''do 
his  bit"  for  the  doughboy,  were  graphically  presented  by 
Mr.  Ames  and  he  predicted  that  his  experience  would  soon 
become  that  of  thousands  of  others. 

"Before  you  sail  you  may  have  an  opportunity  to  ac- 
quire a  little  of  that  patience  under  orders  that  is  part 
of  military  life.  For  instance,  maybe  the  very  day  you 
are  ready  to  start  the  Government  may  conmiandeer  your 
berth  (I  say  'berth^  advisedly  and  not  'stateroom^  for 
some  officer,  and  you'll  be  left  to  cool  your  heels  till  the 
next  steamer.  Well,  there  is  nothing  to  do  about  that 
sort  of  thing  but  to  bear  it — and  grin  if  you  can.  In  any 
case,  you'll  be  wise  to  acquire  early,  before  you  face  the 
inevitable  little  discomforts  and  irritations  of  war  service, 
the  useful  French  habit  of  shrugging  your  shoulders  and 
saying  cheerfully,  ^C'est  la  Guerre' — 'Well,  it's  war!' 

"But  no  trifling  discomforts  will  coiuit  in  face  of  the 


54  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

great  experience  that  is  coming  to  you — of  learning  what 
war  really  is  at  first  hand.  You'll  begin  to  get  some  hint 
when  you  see  your  steamship — camouflaged  perhaps  to 
look  like  a  cloud  on  the  horizon;  or  when  you  find  that  all 
your  fellow-passengers,  without  exception,  are  either  officers 
or  workers  in  some  war  service  like  yourself.  The  mere 
Visitor'  to  Europe  doesn't  exist  any  more.  You  will  feel 
it  when  your  portholes  are  battened  shut  at  night,  and 
covered  with  tin  lest  any  gleam  of  light  escape,  and  you 
are  forbidden  to  smoke  on  deck.  And  before  you  see  the 
shores  of  France  there  will  come  out  of  the  sky  to  meet 
and  watch  over  you,  an  American  airplane  followed  by 
an  American  destroyer  flying  Old  Glory. 

''And  before  you  reach  the  dock  you  may  gather  some 
notion  of  what  it  means  for  an  entire  nation  to  be  at  war 
when,  instead  of  the  smart  French  customs  inspector  of 
former  days,  a  little  file  of  middle-aged  women  clad  in 
black  climbs  the  rope  ladder  up  your  steamer's  side  to 
examine  your  baggage." 

It  was  a  thrilling  story  of  adventure  that  Mr.  Ames 
related — perhaps  the  clearest  insight  that  has  been  given 
of  the  varied  phases  of  hardship  and  self-sacrifice  for  the 
great  cause. 

"As  the  train  takes  you  through  France — for  you  will 
first  go  direct  to  Paris  for  instructions — you  will  see  no 
men  out  of  uniform,"  he  said,  "except  those  actually  de- 
crepit, and  only  women  working  in  the  fields.  And  every- 
where there  will  be  barracks  and  more  barracks,  and  crawl- 
ing freight  trains  laden  with  cannon  and  ammunition,  and 
boxes  and  bales  labeled  from  every  part  of  the  world. 
You'll  pass  encampments  of  English  troops  and  Canadian 
troops,  and  troops  from  India  and  Senegal  and  Africa, 
and  gangs  of  day  laborers  by  the  thousand  brought  from 
China. 

"The  whole  stream  seems  somehow  headed  in  one  direc- 
tion, crawling  toward  'the  line.'    That  thin  line — only  about 


A  MESSAGE  FROM  FRANCE  55 

450  miles  long,  the  distance  from  Washington  to  Boston, 
and  never  wider  than  a  mile — that  crack  in  the  ^arth  is 
the  center  and  focus  of  the  whole  world  today.  And  toward 
that  crack — that  narrow  crater  of  destruction — ^the  whole 
world  is  flowing  in  two  streams  from  opposite  sides  of  the 
globe.  And  you  are  carried  with  the  current,  and  are  part 
of  it. 

''In  Paris  the  YMCA  will  take  charge  of  you  and  tell 
you  what  area  of  camps  you  are  to  visit  first.  Most  of 
the  camps  are  not  actually  in  the  towns,  but  from  two 
to  seven  miles  outside.  But  the  base  town  is  where  you 
will  lodge — some  of  them  are  the  most  interesting  historical 
towns  in  France — and  go  out  by  motor  to  the  camps  them- 
selves for  your  performances.  And  when  youVe  given 
performances  in  all  the  camps  near  that  town,  you'll  go 
back  to  Paris  and  get  a  bath  (hurrah!),  and  start  for  an- 
other base  town.     And  so  on!" 

The  observations  of  Mr.  Ames,  with  his  keen  analysis 
of  character  and  his  sense  of  humor,  must  here  become  a 
permanent  part  of  war  literature. 

"You  will  be  met  at  the  station  by  your  local  boss,  that 
is,  the  YMCA  secretary  in  charge  of  the  district;  and  about 
nightfall  he'll  load  you  all  into  one  open  Ford  motor  car — 
so  there  mustn't  be  more  than  six  of  you  in  the  company 
at  the  very  outside — and  you'll  start  for  the  camp  to  give 
your  performance. 

''All  the  scenery  you'll  be  able  to  carry  ought  to  be  under 
your  hat;  and  your  costume,  if  you  take  one,  must  pack 
in  a  flat  handbag;  otherwise  there  won't  be  room  in  the 
Ford.  But,  oh!  respect  that  humble  Ford!  It  cost  $1,000 
in  France,  and  had  to  be  fought  for  at  that!  And  the  gas- 
oline that  feeds  it  can  be  had  only  by  order  from  the  Army, 
and  it's  a  penal  offense  to  use  a  drop  for  pleasure  riding. 

"On  your  way  to  the  camp  your  car  may  be  halted  two 
or  three  times  by  a  sentry — and  his  rifle  is  really  loaded. 
'Halt!    Who  goes  there?' 


u  r 


56  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


"TMCA/ 
"Tass  YMCA/ 


"And  finally  you  do  pass  the  bounds;  and  inside  you'll 
find  a  flat,  treeless  expanse  of  trodden  mud,  covered  close 
with  the  barracks  where  the  boys  live.  The  camp  looks 
like  a  newly  built  mining  camp  without  the  saloon.  Imag- 
ine a  big  sleeping  car,  without  wheels,  built  of  matched 
boards,  and  you  have  a  picture  of  a  barrack.  Inside  it 
there  is  a  center  aisle,  and  on  either  side  of  this  aisle  is 
a  double  row  of  bunks.    This  is  the  soldier's  home!" 

"Oiu"  boys  are  the  finest,  healthiest,  most  upstanding 
set  of  young  giants  you  ever  saw.  They  are  as  keen  as 
mustard  to  get  to  the  front,  and  when  they  are  at  the  front, 
they  are  as  keen  as  mustard  to  get  at  the  Boche,  and  we 
are  going  to  have  reason  to  be  mighty  proud  of  them." 

It  is  to  Mr.  Ames  also  that  our  war  records  are  indebted 
for  a  clear  vision  of  the  ' 'soldier's  home"  in  besieged  and 
war-ridden  France. 

"Some  genius  realized  what  this  absence  of  any  touch 
of  home  in  the^soldier's  life  might  mean,  and  the  Y  M  C  A 
in  France  is  the  result.  Wherever  there  is  a  camp,  you'll 
find  a  Y  M  C  A  hut  or  house.  It  isn't  decorative.  It  is 
made  of  matched  boards,  and  it  looks  just  like  a  larger 
barrack,  or  a  shooting  gallery  at  Coney  Island  without 
the  paint.  It  might  cost  at  the  outside  $3,000  to  put  up 
in  America;  in  France  it  costs  $15,000,  because  the  lum- 
ber has  to  be  smuggled  out  of  Spain  or  Switzerland  under 
the  nose  of  German  agents,  and  when  the  Army  can't  spare 
the  men  to  help  put  it  up,  or  there  are  no  German  prisoners 
available,  it  sometimes  has  to  be  put  up  by  French  women. 
But  it's  there  in  every  camp  now  with  its  Red  Triangle 
over  the  door,  and  it  is  the  soldier's  home  and  club,  and 
corner  grocery  store,  and  church — and  it  wants  to  be  his 
theatre. 

"There  is  always  a  canteen  (or  counter)  at  one  end, 
where  they  sell,  at  cost,  the  minor  luxuries  that  Uncle 


A  MESSAGE  FROM  FRANCE  57 

Sam  doesn^t  supply,  such  as  cigarettes  and  hot  chocolate 
and  shaving  brushes  and  biscuits.  Along  one  side  is  a 
row  of  plain  wooden  tables,  always  crowded,  where  boys 
are  writing  back  to  you  letters  home.  You  may  have 
noticed  the  Red  Triangle  on  the  corner  of  the  letter  paper. 
On  the  other  side  is  another  row  of  tables  where  they  are 
playing  checkers  or  cards.  There  is  a  little  library  of 
books.  And  here's  where  the  old  magazines  go  that  you 
put  a  stamp  on  and  drop  into  the  postbox  without  address. 
There  is  probably  a  phonograph  grinding  out  'Mother 
Machree.'  And  at  the  end,  opposite  the  canteen,  is  a 
little  platform.  This  is  your  stage.  Sometimes  the  hut 
hasn't  even  a  platform,  and  they  will  put  two  tables  to- 
gether for  a  stage. 

"In  some  of  the  more  important  camps  there  are  sep- 
arate auditoriums — except  that  auditorium  is  altogether 
too  grand  a  word,  for  they  are  just  like  the  other  huts, 
except  that  there  are  no  tables  or  canteens  and  they  are 
filled  with  closely  packed  benches.  Sometimes  the  little 
stage  has  a  drop  curtain,  oftener  it  hasn't.  Once  in  a  while 
the  boys  have  painted  a  rudimentary  back-drop.  It  almost 
always  represents  New  York  harbor  with  the  Statue  of 
Liberty.  There  may  be  a  little  gasoline  engine  coughing 
its  life  away  outside,  and  so  you  may  have  the  luxury  of 
electric  lights.  Sometimes  the  light  is  kerosene  lanterns, 
and  once  in  a  while  candles.  But  even  when  there  is  light 
enough,  it's  hard  to  see  because  the  place  is  so  filled  with 
smoke. 

"The  fact  that  you  are  coming  to  play  there  will  have 
been  chalked  up  a  week  ahead  on  the  bulletin  board  out- 
side the  hut,  and  the  hut  will  be  packed  with  boys  to  wel- 
come you.  They  will  be  standing  outside  the  windows 
as  far  as  they  can  hear.    If  you  are  late  they  will  wait." 

And  Mr.  Ames  told  a  story  about  getting  to  one  hut 
where  Mr.  Sothern  was  announced  to  read.  Their  car 
broke  down  ("You  may  expect  that,  and  it  may  be  raining. 


58  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

too — but  'C'est  la  Guerre!'  ")  and  they  were  an  hour  and 
a  quarter  late. 

''But  the  boys  had  waited  all  that  time,  whistling  and 
singing  in  chorus  to  keep  themselves  amused.  Not  one 
left  his  place,  because  he  knew  that  some  one  else  would 
take  it  if  he  did.  You  see,  it's  not  only  entertainment  you'll 
be  bringing  them,  but  entertainment  from  home — home 
that's  3,000  miles  away. 

''Over  there  in  France  everything  about  home  has  come 
to  have  a  kind  of  golden  halo.  You  know  how  it  is  your- 
self when  you've  been  away  for  a  long  time.  Every  man 
from  America  seems  to  the  doughboy  a  kind  of  messenger 
and  representative  from  'God's  country,'  and  every  Amer- 
ican woman  represents,  not  merely  a  woman,  but  his  own 
mother  or  wife  or  sweetheart." 

He  related  how  when  Sothern  and  he  went  up  to  the 
trenches  they  took  Mrs.  Ames  as  far  as  a  woman  was  allowed 
to  go.  They  left  her  in  a  canteen  hidden  away  in  a  little 
wood,  at  nightfall.  The  shack  was  lighted  by  three  candles. 
In  it  there  were  about  two  hundred  boys  who  had  come 
in  to  smoke  because  they  couldn't  light  matches  outside, 
or  to  get  a  cup  of  hot  chocolate  before  they  went  out  for 
their  night's  shift  in  the  trenches,  or  to  mend  the  broken 
barbed  wire  on  "No  Man's  Lane."  They  had  to  mend 
that  wire  by  feeling.  They  showed  her  their  hands.  She 
was  the  only  woman  within  two  miles. 

"When  we  came  back,"  related  Mr.  Ames,  "I  asked 
my  wife  how  she  felt  among  all  those  boys.  And  she  said: 
'If  I  had  a  daughter  of  sixteen,  I'd  leave  here  there  alone. 
And  if  any  man  touched  her  with  his  finger,  these  boys 
would  tear  him  into  a  thousand  pieces.' 

"The  place  was  within  reach  of  gas  shells,  and  she  had 
been  ordered  to  carry  a  gas  mask.  But  the  boys  took  it 
away  from  her.  One  of  them  held  it  near.  'I'll  put  it  on 
you  quicker  than  you  can  if  there  is  need,'  he  said.  'But 
we  just  can't  bear  to  see  an  American  woman  wearing  a 


A  MESSAGE  FROM  FRANCE  59 

gas  mask/  Is  it  any  wonder  that  everyone  who  saw  our 
men  in  France  feels  that  there  has  come  to  them  a  new 
dignity? 

"They  are  just  great,  happy,  wholesome,  fine  American 
boys,"  explained  Mr.  Ames.  "They  haven't  lost  their 
sense  of  himior.  For  instance,  one  division  has  taken  for 
its  motto:  ^See  America  First.'  They  don't  want  you  to 
lose  your  sense  of  humor,  when  you  come  to  them.  They 
want  cheerfulness,  and  gaiety,  and  clean  laughter,  and 
good  catchy  music,  and  stirring  recitations,  and  little  swift 
plays — oh,  anything  that's  good  of  its  kind,  and  well  done, 
and  that  is  'Made  in  America.'  That's  it — 'Made  in  Amer- 
ica.' You'll  never  realize  how  much  it  will  mean  to  those 
boys  to  have  you  come  3,000  miles  to  serve  them — how 
much  they  need  you — till  you  stand  before  your  first 
audience  and  get  their  welcome.    I  envy  you  that  feeUng. 

"We  of  the  theatre  can  personally  help  to  speed  the 
victory,  because  our  men  will  fight  better  if  we  keep  them 
happy  and  contented  in  their  exile,  and  because  in  addi- 
tion to  entertainment  we  can  bring  the  unspoken  message 
that  America  is  with  them  and  behind  them  every  day 
and  every  hour.  The  service  we  are  asked  to  do  is  not 
a  duty — it  is  a  great  privilege.  And  we  owe  a  debt  to  the 
Y  M  C  A  in  France,  who  have  asked  us  to  join  with  them 
in  serving  our  soldiers  there,  and  whose  pioneer  work  has 
made  our  service  possible." 

Mr.  Ames's  simple  narrative  thrilled  his  auditors.  He 
had  brought  to  them  a  professional  message  from  the  war 
zone.  He  had  pictured  in  the  imaginative  minds  of  the 
creative  artists  of  his  time  the  true  vision  of  war.  The 
doughboys  were  calling  to  them — ^waiting  for  them.  Is  it 
at  all  surprising  that  the  adventure  which  followed  on  the 
scene  in  the  Palace  Theatre  was  to  become  one  of  the 
heritages  of  the  American  stage? 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  AMERICAN  STAGE  ANSWERS 

^'We  are  ready  to  try  our  fortunes,  to  the  last  man." 

King  Henry  IV. 

If  the  S.  S.  Leviathan  could  have  been  made  fast  at  the 
door  of  the  Palace  Theatre,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  audi- 
ence would  have  gone  on  board  en  masse,  prepared  to  sail 
for  France  at  once,  with  the  cordial  consent  of  the  man- 
agers, booking  agents,  producers,  dramatists,  and  the 
whole  theatrical  world,  leaving  the  American  public  to 
shift  for  its  dramatic  future  as  best  it  might. 

And  this  despite  Mr.  Ames's  warnings:  ''If  a  commander 
disapproves  of  your  performance  he  can  have  you  shot 
at  simrise";  "All  the  scenery  you  can  carry  must  be  under 
your  hat";  ''Your  costumes  must  be  carried  in  a  hand- 
bag, and  your  company  be  squeezed  into  a  Ford";  "You 
will  be  dirty,  bedraggled,  tired,  hungry,  and  homesick"; 
"You  will  travel  through  a  desolate  country,  in  which 
the  graces  of  civilization  have  been  suspended  by  war"; 
"You  will  get  utterly  lost,  from  time  to  time,  amid  the 
planless  confusion  which  is  inevitable  in  a  great  war  where 
every  soldier  is  more  important  than  you  are" — but  with 
the  assurance  of  Mr.  Sothern,  "You  will  play  before  such 
audiences  as  you  never  believed  existed  on  earth,  and 
you  will  hear  applause  that  will  drown  the  air  raids." 

But  when  the  American  stage  becomes  imbued  with  a 
great  idea,  when  it  hears  the  call  of  country  or  humanity, 
it  never  fails  to  answer  with  heart  and  soul — as  was  dem- 
onstrated in  every  Liberty  Loan  drive,  in  every  Red  Cross 
and  United  War  Fund  campaign,  in  the  response  to  the 
appeals  of  every  relief  organization. 

60 


John  W.  Beattie 


Joseph  Lindon  Smith 


William  H.  Duff,  2nd 


Carl  J.  Balliett 


THE    AMERICAN    STAGE    ANSWERS  61 

And  SO  it  was  on  this  historic  occasion  in  the  Palace 
Theatre,  as  Sergeant  Arthur  Guy  Empey  pointed  his 
aggressive  finger  at  the  audience  and  shouted:  ^'The  biggest 
job  in  the  War  is  to  send  the  boys  over  the  top  with  a 
smile.  It  is  the  men  who  go  over  the  top  with  a  song  in 
their  hearts  who  keep  their  wits  about  them  and  come 
back — and  you've  got  to  provide  the  songs."  Empey 
told  of  running  a  show  600  yards  behind  the  Hnes  with 
shells  flying  over  so  regularly  that  ^'the  bass  dnmmier 
would  wait  and  let  the  shell  make  the  noise  for  him  while 
he  rested."  He  told  the  actors  they  probably  would  be 
disappointed  with  Europe  until  they  played  their  first 
engagement  before  the  soldiers,  then  ''no  matter  how 
rotten  you  are,  you're  going  to  get  a  wonderful  hand." 

Mrs.  August  Belmont  inspired  her  hearers:  "The  boys 
over  there  are  giving  their  best,  and  they  deserve  yours; 
the  service  you  can  render,  small  as  it  may  seem  amid  the 
great  sacrifices  that  are  being  made,  will  come  back  to 
you  in  after  years  as  the  greatest  experience  of  your  lives." 

Mr.  McLane  pledged  the  support  of  the  National  War 
Work  Council. 

No  element  of  the  profession  was  forgotten.  Joseph 
Grismer,  a  Union  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  pledged  the 
full  ranks  of  ''The  Lambs"  and  its  thousand  or  more 
members. 

Margaret  Mayo  promised  to  turn  actress  again  for  the 
occasion,  though  she  admitted,  even  in  George  Cohan's 
presence,  that  a  playwright  was  only  a  bad  actor  whom 
the  managers  would  not  hire. 

Francis  Wilson,  who  was  called  upon  to  respond  for  the 
Actors'  Equity  Association,  made  probably  the  happiest 
one-minute  speech  of  the  morning.  He  said:  "It  was 
understood  that  a  few  of  us  would  address  you,  and  I  was 
to  be  among  the  few.  I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the 
change  that  is  coming  over  our  opinion  of  the  Y  M  C  A. 
We  used  to  think  of  them  as  pink  tea  folks,  but  now  we 


62  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

know  that  they  are  a  power  of  manhood.  The  '  Y'  has  made 
its  discovery,  too.  It  is  learning  how  great  an  influence 
for  good  there  is  in  the  American  stage.  The  members  of 
the  Actors'  Equity  Association  will  go." 

With  such  an  audience,  won  a  thousand  times  over 
by  these  irresistible  appeals,  the  response  went  far  beyond 
control.  Volunteers  rose  from  all  parts  of  the  house  before 
any  call  was  made,  and  when  Mr.  Cohan  finally  asked 
all  those  who  were  "ready  to  go''  to  stand  up,  three  fourths 
of  the  audience  rose. 

To  the  standing  crowd,  Mr.  Cohan  read  telegram  after 
telegram  pledging  the  great  names  of  the  American  stage 
for  service  overseas — Julia  Marlowe,  Maude  Adams,  Lillian 
Russell,  John  Drew,  John  Barrymore,  William  Collier, 
Frances  Starr,  Viola  Allen,  Marguerite  Clark,  Grace  George, 
James  T.  Powers,  Grant  Mitchell,  Jessie  Busley,  John 
Charles  Thomas,  Jane  Cowl,  Ruth  Chatterton,  Louise 
Dresser,  Donald  Brian,  Walter  Jones,  Billie  Burke,  Otis 
Skinner,  Kittie  Edwards,  Eugene  O'Brien,  Julia  Sander- 
son, Joseph  Cawthorne,  David  Bispham,  Blanche  Ring, 
Tom  Wise,  Marie  Doro,  James  J.  Corbett,  Weber  and 
Fields,  Barry  McCormack,  Nora  Bayes  and  Company, 
Amos  Sutherland — and  a  long  roll  call  of  celebrities  cover- 
ing every  branch  of  the  profession. 

Miss  Amelia  Bingham  volunteered  from  a  stage  box, 
and  Edith  Wynne  Mattison  and  Charles  Rann  Kennedy 
were  announced  as  among  the  volunteers,  as  were  Charles 
B.  Dillingham,  Joseph  Riter,  and  Florenz  Ziegfeld,  Jr. 
The  last  three  offered  their  services  as  producers.  Organ- 
izations offering  to  organize  companies  to  go  overseas 
were  the  Players,  Lambs,  Friars,  Green  Room  Club,  Stage 
Women's  War  Relief,  Actors'  Equity  Association,  and  the 
National  Vaudeville  Artists. 

Elsie  Janis  cabled  from  London  making  a  date  with  the 
whole  audience  in  France.  Willie  Collier  volunteered  to 
"head  a  company,  or  carry  a  spear  or  gun  or  anything." 


THE   AMERICAN    STAGE    ANSWERS  63 

The  tide  of  emotion  reached  its  topmost  crest  when 
Secretary  Henry  Chesterfield,  of  the  National  Vaudeville 
Artists,  announced  that  more  than  9,000  members  of  that 
great  organization  had  signified  their  willingness  to  go  at 
once.  As  the  famous  Tammany  politician  said,  from  then 
on  ' 'pantomime  reigned." 

Thus  there  emerged  from  this  historic  meeting,  held 
on  the  birthday  of  Shakespeare,  the  Over  There  Theatre 
League,  fully  organized,  officered,  and  ready  for  duty. 
Its  officers  were: 

George  M.  Cohan,  President  (Abbot  of  "The  Friars"). 

E.  F.  Albee,  Vice-President  (The  B.  F.  Keith  Circuit  of 
Theatres). 

Directors:  Winthrop  Ames;  Rachel  Crothers  (President 
* 'Stage  Women^s  War  Relief");  Walter  Damrosch  (Presi- 
dent "Musicians'  Club");  Charles  B.  Dillingham  (Cap- 
tain N.  A.);  John  Drew  (President  of  "The  Players"); 
Daniel  Frohman  (President  "Actors'  Fund  of  America"); 
Joseph  R.  Grismer  (Shepherd  of  "The  Lambs");  Marc 
Klaw  (Klaw  and  Erlanger);  Willard  Mack  (President 
"National  Vaudeville  Artists");  Lee  Shubert  (President 
"Shubert  Theatrical  Company");  E.  H.  Sothern;  Augustus 
Thomas  (President  "American  Dramatists  and  Com- 
posers"); Francis  Wilson  (President  "Actors'  Equity  Asso- 
ciation"). 

The  following  individual  contract  was  drawn  up: 

America's 
Over  There  Theatre  League 

AND 

Y  M  C  A  Contract 


By  my  signature  below,  and  because  of  the  receipt  by  me 
of  a  uniform  and  living  expenses  from  the  Y  M  C  A,  and 
a  salary  of  S2.00  per  day  from  America's  Over  There  Theatre 
League,  and  because  I  shall  be  employed  in  a  country  at 
war,  I  hereby  pledge  myself  to 

1.  Obey  all  Military  Authorities  in  conunand, 


64  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

2.  Obey  the  Secretary  of  the  Y  M  C  A  to  whom  I  am 
du-ectly  responsible. 

3.  Remain  in  Entertainment  Service  abroad  not  less  than 
three  months,  unless  otherwise  ordered. 

4.  Return  to  the  United  States  at  any  time  upon  the 
request  of  the  head  of  the  Y  M  C  A  organization  in 
France  or  England. 

5.  Deliver  to  the  Y  M  C  A,  immediately  after  my  re- 
turn to  America,  the  uniform  furnished  me  by  them. 

Signed 

Accepted  by  T.  S.  McLane 
For  the  National  War  Work  Council,  Y  M  C  A. 

Witnessed  by 

Accepted  by  Winthrop  Ames 
For  America's  Over  There  Theatre  League. 
In  order  to  facilitate  the  handling  of  entertaining  com- 
panies abroad,  I  further  agree  to  recognize 

as  the  manager  of  the  unit  with  which  I  am  connected, 
and  to  conform  to  such  arrangements  in  regard  to  travel- 
ing, etc.,  in  France  as  he  may  make. 

Signed 

Received  from  the  Y  M  C  A  and  America's  Over  There 
Theatre  League: 

(1)  $100  in  French  money,  to  be  used  for  trip  expenses, 
an  expense  account  and  any  balance  left  over  to  be 
delivered  to  the  Y  M  C  A,  12  Rue  d'Aguesseau, 
Paris,  France. 

(2)  $5.00  to  be  spent  on  taxi  fares,  etc.,  to  steamer  here. 

(3)  Order  No.  — ,  entitling  me  to  America's  Over  There 
Theatre  League's  allowance. 

(4)  Service  contract. 

(5)  The  balance  of  my  passport  photographs. 


The  offices  and  headquarters  of  the  Over  There  Theatre 
League  were  for  nine  months  in  the  Little  Theatre,  the  use 
of  which  was  extended  to  the  organization  gratuitously 
by  Mr.  Ames. 


THE    AMERICAN    STAGE    ANSWERS  65 

The  list  of  volunteers  for  immediate  service  exceeded 
seven  hundred  personal  applicants  in  two  days  and  steadily 
went  on  growing;  and  the  vigorous  and  unstinted  enthusi- 
asm of  organizations  representing  more  than  15,000  mem- 
bers placed  the  resources  of  the  whole  dramatic  world  at 
the  feet  of  the  American  Army. 


CHAPTER  X 

A  STOCK  COMPANY  UNDER  FIRE 

"  ^Tis  true  that  we  are  in  great  danger; 
The  greater  therefore  should  our  courage  6e." 

King  Henry  V. 

Before  Messrs.  Ames  and  Sothern  sailed  for  home,  they 
met  the  first  American  professional  stock  company  which 
had  come  to  France.  This  was  the  Craig  Company,  which 
had  been  sent  over  by  Mr.  McLane,  on  the  initiative  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Craig  themselves,  the  heads  for  many 
years  of  the  famous  Craig  Players  of  Boston.  The  sacri- 
fices and  experiences  of  the  Craigs  would  require  a  volume 
in  themselves. 

"I  would  not  trade  my  experience  for  a  million  dollars,  ^^ 
was  the  answer  of  Mr.  Craig  when  questioned  regarding 
his  nine  months'  tour  of  the  A.  E.  F. 

John  Craig  and  his  gifted  wife,  Mary  Young,  co-leaders 
of  Boston's  time-honored  Castle  Square  Stock  Company, 
decided  as  early  as  September,  1917,  to  put  everything 
aside  and  go  to  France.  They  had  given  their  two  sons 
to  the  cause — both  had  volunteered  in  the  service  of  the 
French  Army  without  waiting  for  the  call  of  their  own  coun- 
try— and  one  was  to  make  the  supreme  sacrifice.  It  is  an 
heroic  story  of  an  American  stage  family  that  gave  all  they 
had  to  the  call  of  humanity. 

There  are  two  very  interesting  phases  of  the  Craig  expe- 
riences: the  first  was  their  persistence  in  getting  to  France; 
the  second,  their  fight  to  go  to  the  front  and  play  clear 
up  to  the  trenches.  The  spirit  which  actuated  them  is 
such  that  it  deserves  a  special  place  in  this  story. 

The  first  play  selected  as  the  medium  for  overseas  pro- 

66 


A  STOCK  COMPANY  UNDER  PIRE  67 

duction — Margaret  Mayo's  rollicking  farce,  '^Baby  Mine" 
— had  enjoyed  a  record  run  on  Broadway  some  years  before. 
It  was  a  play  which  required  the  minimum  of  costumes 
and  scenery — the  chief  items  being  three  rubber  babies 
and  a  portable  telephone  as  the  props,  with  citizens'  clothes 
as  the  costumes.  Also  it  was  a  play  with  inextinguishable 
humor  of  situation,  the  first  and  funniest  of  its  type  of 
farces. 

Mr.  Craig,  Mary  Young,  his  wife,  and  the  capable  players 
who  supported  the  Craigs,  Charles  Darrah,  Ivy  Troutman, 
Robert  Tabor,  Theresa  Dale,  Rose  Saltonstall,  and  Wilfred 
Young,  sailed  from  New  York  February  3,  1918. 

''The  company  had  to  be  reduced  to  six,''  Mr.  Craig 
explained,  ''so  that  all  the  players  and  properties  could 
be  gotten  into  a  Ford.  We  went  from  camp  area  to  camp 
area  by  train  and  then  by  automobile  over  each  area. 
These  were  sometimes  forty  miles  in  extent,  but  we  had 
to  make  every  center  in  a  day  if  possible.  We  carried 
draperies  for  scenery,  and  these  were  hung  in  a  field,  in 
the  woods,  or  in  a  hall,  as  the  case  might  be,  wherever 
the  soldiers  congregated.  Many  a  performance  was  given 
outdoors,  and  we  always  had  an  appreciative  crowd.  If 
we  couldn't  borrow  an  army  cot,  we  would  requisition 
a  chair  for  the  bed  that  is  used  in  the  play.  We  even  put 
on  'Baby  Mine'  in  a  dugout  one  night  for  a  few  officers, 
most  of  whom  had  to  sit  on  the  edge  of  the  'stage.'  " 

Their  first  regular  assignment  was  Aix-les-Bains.  It 
was  in  March.  The  First  Division  was  turned  loose  in 
that  area,  for  their  first  real  leave  of  the  War.  There  the 
Craig  Company  went  to  give  America's  veteran  fighting 
division  the  sight  of  the  first  real  show  they  had  seen  in 
France.  The  town  was  placarded  with  posters — the  un- 
believable news  that  an  honest-to-goodness  American 
comedy  in  four  acts,  "not  a  movie,"  was  being  staged  at 
the  local  casino  by  America's  best  known  stock  company. 

When  the  players  arrived,  they  found  for  the  first  time 
in  their  lives  that  the  theatrical  writer's  ancient  boast, 


68  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

'The  house  was  crowded  to  the  rafters/'  had  really  come 
true.  The  last  square  inch  of  floor  space  had  been  pre- 
empted. The  nimble  doughboys  had  climbed  to  the  girders; 
they  even  decorated  the  short  slanting  joists  that  upheld  the 
roof.  The  delighted  yells  and  cheers  of  this  irrepressible 
audience  would  have  made  any  show  a  riot.  But  when 
the  stage  husband,  who  yearned  in  vain  for  a  *'che-ild'' 
and  found  himself  presented  with  one,  then  two,  then  three 
infants,  who  bobbed  on  and  bobbed  off  the  stage  in  a  series 
of  astonishing  miracles — one  finally  being  produced  of 
altogether  the  wrong  color  for  its  parentage — the  dough- 
boys howled  and  cheered  until  some  of  them  nearly  dropped 
off  the  rafters.  This  was  a  ''regular  show."  And  this  was 
its  usual  reception. 

As  we  follow  the  Craig  players,  as  they  go  toward  the 
front  and  play  under  impromptu  conditions  which  differ 
at  every  performance,  a  series  of  pictures  arises  which  show 
that  the  nimble  wit  and  resourcefulness  of  the  American 
actor  had  a  share  in  helping  the  Army  to  win  the  War. 

There  is  the  time,  for  instance,  when  the  company  is 
jogging  along  the  road  in  its  own  "tin  Lizzie."  It  meets 
an  outfit  of  plodding  doughboys  on  the  march.  Some- 
body recognizes  them  or  sees  the  entertainment  insignia 
on  the  uniform  and  there  is  a  general  yell  of  greeting.  The 
column  halts  and  one  of  the  officers  says:  "These  boys 
have  been  in  France  six  months  and  haven't  seen  a  real 
show  yet.  We  don't  know  when  we  shall  see  you  again. 
Can't  you  give  us  something?"  Mr.  Craig  looks  at  the 
open  field,  with  a  little  hill  on  one  side,  shaded  by  some 
trees,  and  then  at  the  long  line  of  upturned  lively  faces, 
and  says:  "Sure!  We  will  give  you  a  whole  play  right 
here  and  now."  And  so  the  news  passes  from  rank  to  rank, 
the  men  give  a  whoop  as  the  order  is  given  to  break  ranks, 
and  soon  Mr.  Craig  is  stepping  forward  and  coolly  announc- 
ing: "Our  first  scene  is  laid  in  a  Chicago  drawing-room, 
and  you  who  know  what  a  Chicago  drawing-room  looks 


A  STOCK  COMPANY  UNDER  FIRE  69 

like  will  feel  perfectly  at  home — the  rest  can  use  their 
imagination." 

The  audience  is  ranged  in  a  broad  circle  on  the  ground 
imder  the  trees.  At  one  side  of  the  ''stage/'  which  is  fur- 
nished with  square  boxes  for  chairs,  with  long  boxes  for 
sofas,  and  a  tall  box  on  end  for  a  table,  stand  the  local 
villagers  who  make  a  very  good  screen  behind  which  the 
actors  can  disappear  and  make  their  modest  changes. 
When  the  great  bed  scene  comes  on  it  is  an  army  cot  bor- 
rowed from  a  salvage  wagon  which  takes  the  place  of  the 
Chicago  brass  bedstead,  and  a  soap  box  serves  as  a  cradle 
for  the  unhappy  infants.  As  the  excited  heroine  dashes 
across  the  stage  and  leaps  on  to  the  bed  in  order  to  be  safely 
tucked  up  before  her  husband  enters,  the  bed  gives  way 
with  a  crash;  but  after  a  little  carpentry  the  scene  goes  on, 
funnier  than  before.  A  volimteer  is  called  for  to  enact 
the  star  part  of  an  irate  janitor  in  the  last  act.  He  is  re- 
hearsed in  front  of  the  whole  audience,  made  perfect  in 
his  lines,  and  at  the  right  moment  rushes  on  to  the  stage 
and  sometimes — it  happened  once  or  twice — he  gets  the 
lines  right.  But  there  is  terrific  applause  as  the  play  fin- 
ishes. Then  the  ranks  form  up  again.  The  army  boots 
again  take  up  their  rhythmic  tread  as  the  boys  go  off  over 
the  hill  with  a  laugh  in  their  hearts.  The  company  packs 
up  its  India  rubber  babies  and  its  telephone  and  wends 
its  way  to  the  next  camp. 

There  is  the  time,  repeated  over  and  over  again,  when 
the  company  is  playing  close  up  behind  the  firing  line  to 
a  tense  crowd  of  men  who  have  only  recently  come  out  of 
action,  or  who  may  be  going  in  the  next  morning.  Grad- 
ually the  tenseness  relaxes  and  into  their  eyes  comes  the 
fresh,  care-free  look  of  men  over  whom  a  breath  of  air 
from  home  is  visibly  blowing.  In  the  midst  of  the  per- 
formance comes  an  order.  All  over  the  house  men  get  up 
quietly  and  steal  away.  They  are  going  to  the  front. 
The  rest  of  the  audience  sits  quiet,  but  the  tenseness  comes 


70  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

again.  Then  when  the  show  is  over,  tramp,  tramp,  tramp, 
go  the  boots  again  up  toward  the  Unes,  as  the  actors  go, 
tired  and  spent,  to  their  cold  but  well-earned  beds. 

Half  a  dozen  times  ''Baby  Mine"  is  interrupted  by 
other  kinds  of  infants  of  German  extraction,  which  come 
from  enemy  aviators  above.  Actors  and  audiences  are 
forced  to  seek  shelter  until  the  pests  are  driven  off.  From 
camp  to  camp  the  company  travels  in  the  indestructible 
"Lizzie,"  a  war  product  which  runs  with  many  of  its  parts 
missing  and  apparently  with  all  nourishment  taken  from 
it  excepit  water.  They  play  in  railroad  stations,  with 
trains  coming  and  going,  the  audience  leaving  as  their 
trains  come  in  and  being  swelled  by  newcomers  from 
other  troop  trains. 

At  one  camp  they  are  playing  "Baby  Mine"  before  the 
Sixth  Marines  of  the  immortal  Second  Division.  The 
place  is  a  barn  and  the  illumination  is  candle  light.  The 
only  exit  is  through  the  closely  packed  Marines.  On  an- 
other occasion  when  there  is  absolutely  no  illumination, 
the  resourceful  soldiers,  not  to  be  beaten  out  of  a  show, 
all  turn  on  their  electric  pocket  torches  and  focus  them 
on  the  actors'  faces.  This  is  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  stage  that  every  actor  has  had  not  only  one  spot 
light  to  himself  but  hundreds  of  them. 

They  play  in  quarantine  camps  where  spinal  meningitis, 
diphtheria,  and  many  other  contagious  cases  are  confined. 
At  one  place  they  have  2,500  contagious  cases  in  the  audi- 
ence, yet  they  cheerfully  take  the  risk  and  are  a  thousand 
times  rewarded  in  giving  limitless  pleasure  to  men  who 
have  not  seen  a  show  since  they  have  been  in  France. 
On  another  occasion  they  play  before  the  Polish-American 
soldiers  who  are  on  their  way  to  join  the  Polish  Legion. 
They  play  to  Negro  stevedores  and  French  soldiers.  And 
they  give  a  never-to-be-forgotten  show  before  the  Ninety- 
Ninth  Aero  Squadron — at  the  conclusion  of  which,  as  a 
special  tribute,  Mary  Young  is  taken  up  and  given  a  flight 


A  STOCK  COMPANY  UNDER  FIRE  71 

in  a  plane  by  one  of  the  best  known  aviators  in  the  British 
Army. 

All  through  these  months  John  Craig  gives  readings 
from  Shakespeare — one-man  shows.  He  specializes  in 
"Twelfth  Night''  or  "The  Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  and 
writes  some  special  new  interpolations  in  Petruchio's 
famous  part  which  the  twentieth  century  doughboys  under- 
stand and  cheer  frantically.  Finally,  he  finds  time  to  help 
the  hard-pressed  administration  of  Johnson  and  Steele  in 
Paris,  and  is  a  useful  liaison  officer  between  his  fellow- 
entertainers  and  the  "Y"  directors,  inaugurating  the  first 
outlines  of  the  reception  and  assignment  work,  later  so 
ably  taken  up  and  conducted  by  A.  M.  Beatty. 

The  Craig  players  covered  the  entire  front  and  played 
in  practically  every  American  advance  base  of  any  size. 
Besides  "Baby  Mine,"  the  company  occasionally  gave  "The 
Circus  Girl,"  a  musical  comedy  which  had  been  one  of 
Mary  Young's  early  successes.  They  also  presented  some 
one-act  plays  hastily  adapted  and  condensed  for  use  when 
only  a  very  abbreviated  show  could  be  given.  Then  there 
were  the  pageants — "The  Drawing  of  the  Sword,"  and 
"Joan  of  Arc." 

"The  Drawing  of  the  Sword"  was  written  by  Thomas 
Wood  Stevens  of  the  Carnegie  Institute,  Pittsburgh,  the 
well-known  play  and  pageant  creator  who  was  in  France 
under  the  Entertainment  Department.  Another  distin- 
guished American  dramatic  writer,  Frederick  Cowley, 
assisted  in  the  production,  and  the  Craig  players  filled  the 
principal  parts  and  helped  to  coach.  Two  performances 
were  given  in  the  large  yard  or  drill  ground  of  Napoleon's 
old  barracks  at  Camp  Pontanazen  near  Brest,  while  a  third 
was  given  in  the  big  American  "Y"  Navy  Hut  at  Brest, 
which  was  choked  and  crowded  in  the  best  war  style.  The 
music  was  furnished  by  one  of  the  best  bands  in  the  U.  S. 
Navy,  and  soldiers,  sailors,  telephone  girls,  "Y"  worker?^, 
British  Tommies,  and  many  others  were  liberally  called 


72  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

upon  to  fill  the  parts.  The  pageant  put  in  broad  historical 
setting  the  Allies'  cause  in  the  War.  It  was  a  successful 
and  stirring  dramatic  exploit.  At  any  other  time  it  would 
have  been  a  national  event;  but  in  the  War's  profusion  of 
splendid  initiative,  it  was  just  one  more  Craig  success. 

The  Joan  of  Arc  pageant  was  based  on  one  of  Mr.  Stevens's 
plays,  which  was  awarded  the  gold  medal  of  the  Joan  of 
Arc  Society  in  America  when  it  was  first  performed  in 
Pittsburgh  some  years  ago.  Mr.  Stevens  never  dreamed 
that  it  would  one  day  be  given  in  its  own  atmosphere  at 
the  birthplace  of  Joan  of  Arc.  Not  only  did  this  happen, 
but  the  fitness  of  this  splendid  and  moving  spectacle  was 
heightened  by  costumes  designed  by  a  member  of  the 
Institute  de  France.  The  play  was  staged  in  front  of  the 
cathedral  in  Domremy,  enacting  with  striking  fidelity  the 
life  of  France's  peasant  girl  saint  in  the  place  of  her  birth. 
To  enact  Joan  of  Arc,  standing  thus  on  this  hallowed  stage 
centuries  old,  and  looking  out  on  another  army  of  her 
own  countrymen  and  their  allies,  thousands  strong,  en- 
gaged in  the  greatest  of  all  wars  of  liberty — that  is  a  dream 
whose  fulfillment  might  make  any  actress  feel  that  she 
had  not  lived  in  vain.  Miss  Young's  performance,  though 
no  theatrical  critic  or  sophisticated  audience  was  there 
to  give  it  fame,  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  her  career,  for 
she  herself,  like  the  stoic  peasant  mothers  in  the  audience, 
had  made  the  supreme  sacrifice  and  had  given  her  eldest 
son  on  the  battlefield  of  liberty. 

Here,  too,  on  one  occasion,  comedy  trod  the  boards, 
inseparable  from  romance  and  tragedy.  Miss  Young  had 
made  the  criticism  after  a  previous  performance  that  the 
fire  for  Joan's  martyrdom  had  been,  for  safety's  sake,  so 
limited  that  the  result  was  not  the  moving  spectacle  it 
should  have  been.  ^Tom"  Gushing  enlisted  the  services 
of  members  of  the  Camouflage  Corps.  This  was  their 
opportunity  and  they  made  their  preparations  but  did 
not  rehearse  their  fire.    The  result  was  a  success  of  a  kind, 


A  STOCK  COMPANY  UNDER  FIRE  73 

but  such  a  success  that  Joan  was  concealed  so  completely 
and  apparently  consumed  so  rapidly  that  she  was  unable 
to  read  her  final  lines. 


After  *'Baby  Mine"  completed  its  tour,  Mr.  Craig  was 
sent  on  an  inspection  trip  of  the  Y  M  C  A  huts,  scouting 
for  all  which  might  prove  suitable  for  performances  by 
other  companies  of  players  who  would  come  later,  and 
arranging  for  such  changes  in  construction  as  were  neces- 
sary for  the  adaptation  of  the  huts  to  theatrical  purposes. 
^^On  this  trip,"  he  said,  ^^I  used  to  recite  The  Taming  of 
the  Shrew'  in  the  huts  at  night,  taking  all  the  parts.  I 
usually  followed  this  with  a  recitation  of  the  poem,  'Christ 
in  Flanders.'  One  night  I  read  it  to  a  large  assemblage 
that  was  waiting  to  go  into  the  action  that  wiped  out  the 
St.  Mihiel  salient.  After  I  had  finished,  the  boys  asked 
the  'Y'  man,  a  noted  Boston  pastor,  to  pray.  This  he 
did  while  every  head  was  bowed  and  knee  bent.  Immedi- 
ately afterward  the  order  came  to  move  forward." 

Miss  Young  did  not  accompany  her  husband  back  to 
America.  She  waited  in  Paris  for  their  son,  John  Craig, 
Jr.,  who  had  been  serving  as  a  second  lieutenant  in  ar- 
tillery, commanding  one  of  the  French  seventy-fives. 
Before  Mr.  Craig's  return — after  the  Armistice — he  and 
his  wife  went  on  a  pilgrimage  to  their  shrine.  It  was  the 
journey  to  the  grave  of  their  other  son,  Harmon  Craig, 
a  former  member  of  the  French  Volunteer  Ambulance 
Field  Service,  who  fell  in  action  at  Verdun  and  lies  buried 
just  back  of  France's  impregnable  fortress. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  REGULAR  AMERICAN  GIRL 

^^Make  the  doors  upon  a  woman^s  wit  and  it  will  out  at 
the  casement;  shut  that  and  'twill  out  at  the  key-hole; 
stop  that,  Hwilljly  with  the  smoke  out  at  the  chimney." 

As  You  Like  It. 

In  the  spring  of  1918  began  one  of  the  most  memorable 
individual  adventures  of  the  War.  It  is  an  exploit,  the 
like  of  which  has  no  parallel  in  theatrical  history.  The 
first  scene  is  laid  in  most  unromantic  surroundings — and 
is  one  of  the  War's  most  thrilling  prologues.  It  is  in  a  big 
locomotive  shed  at  the  American  railway  repair  shop  at 
Nevers.  Present:  four  thousand  waiting  doughboys. 
The  boys  are  standing  on  the  tracks.  They  are  swarming 
up  the  sides  of  the  shed,  keyed  up  to  great  expectancy. 
Suddenly  there  is  a  shout.  A  big  Baldwin  locomotive 
puffs  up  one  of  the  tracks.  The  men  make  way  on  either 
side,  cheering  madly,  for  there  on  the  cowcatcher,  her 
famous  fluted  skirt  streaming  in  the  breeze,  her  hand 
waving  the  usual  breezy  salute  to  everybody,  is  *'the  girl." 
Up  to  the  very  platform  she  proceeds,  jumps  nimbly  off, 
turns  a  handspring,  and  shouts:  "Boys,  are  we  down- 
hearted?" There  comes  a  thunderous  ear-splitting  answer: 
"Hell,  no!"  It  is  Elsie  Janis,  who  from  this  day  becomes 
the  "Sweetheart  of  the  Army,"  in  the  most  spectacular 
stage  entrance  in  the  annals  of  the  theatre. 

What  this  American  girl  was  to  accomplish  in  the  armies 
in  France;  how  she  was  to  go  along  the  battle  areas  to 
arouse  the  cheers  of  "my  boys";  how  she  worked  day  and 
night  for  six  months  in  camps,  hospitals,  leave  areas,  with 
fighting  regiments,  in  dugouts,  up  to  the  very  lines  where 
it  required  the  Army  to  hold  her  back  from  going  "over 

74 


A  REGULAR  AMERICAN  GIRL  75 

the  top"  is  one  of  the  War's  classics.  General  Pershing 
echoed  the  opinion  of  every  doughboy  when  he  declared 
at  his  own  dinner  table  to  the  for-once  shy  and  abashed 
star:  "Elsie,  when  you  first  came  to  France  they  said  you 
were  more  valuable  than  a  whole  regiment.  Then  some- 
body raised  you  to  a  division,  but  I  want  to  tell  you  that 
if  you  can  give  our  men  this  sort  of  happiness  you  are 
worth  an  army  corps." 

Elsie  Janis  came  over  to  France  on  March  3,  1918,  hav- 
ing been  in  England  since  October,  1917.  An  unexpected 
breaking  of  a  French  contract  was  the  providential  means 
of  her  beginning  at  once.  Nobody  is  a  better  authority 
on  how  she  happened  to  start  out  for  the  *'Y"  than  Elsie 
herself.  She  tells  the  story  in  her  breeziest  style  in  her 
book,  "The  Big  Show": 

"When  I  left  home  we  had  no  arrangement  with  the 
Red  Cross  or  Y  M  C  A ;  we  came  ostensibly  to  fulfill  con- 
tracts in  Paris  and  London.  But  the  Y  M  C  A  was  right 
on  the  job  that  very  next  day  after  our  arrival.  They 
had  a  map  of  France  with  dots  all  over  it  where  their  cir- 
cuit would  take  me  if  I  would  go.  At  first  I  was  not  too 
keen  on  being  with  the  Y  M  C  A.  It  sounded  rather  like 
it  might  cramp  my  speed — and  I  asked  them  quite  frankly 
if  my  friends  could  come  to  the  shows  whether  they  were 
Young  Christians  or  not!  They  explained  that  they  had 
only  one  idea,  that  was  to  make  the  boys  happy.  As  we 
had  the  same  idea,  we  agreed  to  start  at  once.  That  very 
afternoon  they  sent  a  pianist  up,  and  we  rehearsed.  I 
must  say  that  for  a  Christian  Association  they  have  some 
speed.  It  was  arranged  I  would  start  on  tour  one  week 
later,  and  in  the  meantime  would  practice  on  the  soldiers 
in  and  around  Paris." 

Elsie's  performance  was  simplicity  itself.  It  consisted 
of  a  few  songs,  some  stories,  some  imitations,  a  little  dancing, 
another  story,  and  "Good  Night."  This  could  be  repeated 
over  and  over  again,  and  nobody  ever  seemed  to  get  tired. 
Elsie  sang  French  songs  as  well  as  English  songs,  and  when 
her  French  songs  failed  she  would  translate  English  songs 


76  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

into  French  songs  and  vice  versa,  with  amazing  results. 
Her  imitations  depended  upon  the  whim  of  the  audience. 
She  could  do  anything  from  Queen  Mary  of  England  to 
Chauncey  Olcott.    She  claimed  she  could  imitate  anybody. 

One  night  a  boy  called  out  from  the  ranks: 

"How  about  Will  Rogers?'' 

"Haven't  got  the  rope." 

"Yes,  but  here's  one,"  said  the  boy,  producing  a  nice 
long  one. 

Elsie  was  caught  that  time,  but  she  took  the  rope,  made 
a  lasso  and  danced  in  it,  like  the  famous  Follies  cowboy 
himself.     Result,  a  riot. 

Elsie's  accompanist  was  William  Janauschek  who,  as 
narrated  in  a  preceding  chapter,  had  gone  over  as  pianist 
for  the  Liberty  Quartet.  Mrs.  Janis,  or  "Mother  Janis" 
to  the  doughboys,  accompanied  the  party.  She  is  a  lovable, 
motherly  woman  who  served  her  country  as  nobly  as  any 
soldier.  The  party  at  first  struck  into  the  Old  First  Di- 
vision training  region  around  Gondrecourt,  Chaumont, 
and  Neufchateau,  where  Elsie  caught  the  inevitable  cold 
that  dogged  the  steps  of  all  entertainers  who  faced  that 
lung-searching  spring  weather.  Elsie  was  laid  up  for  ten 
days  in  Paris  as  a  result,  but  was  off  again  as  soon  as  she 
was  able  even  to  whisper  her  stories  or  to  sing  in  a  hoarse 
and  husky  voice. 

She  swung  around  the  entire  circuit,  spending  three 
months  of  tireless  zigzagging  and  volplaning  over  the  war- 
torn  roads  of  the  American  area,  going  into  the  heart  of 
that  Homeric  region  northwest  of  Toul  which  had  already 
become  known  to  the  American  public  as  the  American 
front.  She  traveled  in  a  General  Staff  car,  with  a  con- 
stantly accumulating  collection  of  silver  stars  from  T.  A.  G.'s. 
T.  A.  G.  means,  in  the  Elsie  vernacular,  "Terribly  Attrac- 
tive Generals."  She  was  one  of  the  few  entertainers  who 
sought  out  and  made  a  special  trip  among  the  American 
units  which  were  tucked  in  along  the  British  front.    When 


Charles 
Steele 


Walter  H.  Johnson,  Jr. 


A  REGULAR  AMERICAN   GIRL  77 

she  finally  had  to  depart  in  October,  1918,  to  fulfill  a  long- 
planned  engagement  to  head  the  cast  of  "Hello,  America" 
in  London,  she  had  come  as  near  to  playing  to  the  whole 
American  Army  as  any  entertainer  on  the  road  at  that 
stage  of  the  War. 

The  experience  of  Elsie  Janis  with  the  American  Army 
was  unique.  Owing  to  a  combination  of  circumstances, 
in  which  Elsie's  inability  to  contract  herself  for  a  six- 
months'  service  at  any  one  continuous  period  was  the 
principal  factor,  Elsie  was  permitted  to  go  out  without  a 
uniform.  The  men  enjoyed  seeing  a  famous  actress  dressed 
like  a  regular  American  girl  from  Colimibus,  Ohio,  bobbing 
up  defiantly  in  an  environment  where  all  the  world  went 
uniformed. 

She  stops  in  her  whimsical  and  entirely  individual  book 
to  record  the  hope  that:  "Some  day  some  one  with  the 
powers  of  description  of  Hugo,  Balzac,  Dickens,  and  a 
few  others,  will  try  to  describe  the  splendid  work  done  by 
the  Y  M  C  A.'' 

This  American  girl,  who  had  considered  it  a  hard  day's 
work  to  do  two  twenty-minute  shows  a  day  in  peace  times, 
tore  about  war-torn  France  and  was  never  allowed  to  go 
to  bed  until  she  had  done  five  and  even  nine  shows  during 
the  day,  sometimes  with  laps  of  75  or  even  100  kilometers 
on  the  day's  dizzy  circuit.  Imagine  Elsie  in  a  Httle  Amer- 
ican sector  in  Alsace  after  a  day  of  eight  performances. 
Waking  up  in  her  hotel,  she  catches  the  strains  of  the  song 
she  had  sung  the  night  before,  "When  Yankee  Doodle 
Learns  to  Parlez-Vous-Frangais" — it  is  echoing  through 
the  climtip,  clump  of  the  doughboys'  iron-shod  feet  as  they 
are  marching  up  to  the  front  at  four  in  the  morning.  Imag- 
ine her  leaning  far  out  of  her  window  and  joining  in  the 
chorus,  while  a  thousand  faces  look  up  and  shout  back: 
"Yea,  Elsie!  Atta  boy,  Elsie!"  until  she  withdraws  in  sobs 
of  speechless  exultation. 

On  that  great  Fourth  of  July  in  1918,  it  was  Elsie  who 


78  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

appeared  at  the  Gaumont  Palace  in  Paris  and  symbolized 
the  indomitable  crusader  humor  of  the  American  Army. 
She  stood  on  the  platform  in  the  midst  of  a  typical  Amer- 
ican crowd — in  a  real  prize  ring  alongside  of  the  wonder 
man,  Georges  Carpentier  himself.  When  Elsie  appeared 
on  this  fantastic  stage,  the  French  members  of  the  audi- 
ence looked  in  terror  for  the  next  exit,  for  from  the  throats 
of  all  Americans  present  there  arose  yells,  screeches,  whistles, 
and  a  din  so  terrible  and  so  bloodcurdling  that  they  imagined 
a  German  spy  at  least  must  have  been  trapped  on  the 
platform.    It  was  only  the  boys'  greeting  to  Elsie. 

It  was  a  great  spell  and  it  held  throughout  the  War. 
It  can  best  be  expressed  by  that  husky  American  colonel's 
brief  speech  up  on  the  line,  when  a  bunch  was  just  getting 
ready  to  go  into  action  after  one  of  Elsie's  shows:  ^The 
British  give  their  men  rum  when  they  go  over  the  top, 
and  the  French  hand  out  cognac,  but  we  give  ours  'Janis 
straight.'  " 

The  stories!  How  Elsie  could  tell  them!  What  boy, 
however  morose,  could  help  being  affected  by  this  one, 
with  Elsie  leaning  over  the  platform  and  employing  the 
richest  of  her  dialects: 

A  colored  soldier  is  on  outpost  duty,  and  it  gets  a  bit 
thick.  So  he  comes  running  back  at  great  speed  and  bumps 
into  an  officer. 

"Hey!  What's  the  idea  of  leaving  your  post  of  duty?" 
demands  the  officer. 

And  the  colored  soldier  replies:  "Oh,  Lord,  boss,  the 
shells  is  just  raining  out  there.    One  went  right  by  my  nose." 

Officer:  "How  did  you  know  it  was  a  shell?  Did  you 
see  it?" 

Soldier:  "Did  I  see  it?  I  seen  it  twice — once  when  it 
passed  me — and  once  when  I  passed  it." 

Just  one  more  story  from  her  inexhaustible  fund : 

Two  Negroes  in  the  guardhouse,   talking  through  the 
bars  to  each  other.     It  is  Sunday. 
First  Negro:   "How  long  you  in  foh?" 


A  REGULAR  AMERICAN  GIRL  79 

Second  Negro:   '^Three  months." 
^^What  foh?" 

^'Stealing  from  the  captain.     How  long  you  in  foh?" 
'Three  days." 
''What  foh?" 
"Killing  a  sergeant." 

"How  come  you  get  only  three  days  foh  killing  a  sergeant 

while  I  get  three  months  foh  only  stealing  from  a  captain?" 

"Oh,  they  takes  me  out  on  Wednesday — an^  shoots  me." 

Elsie  Janis  succeeded  because  she  went  through  the 
whole  experience  overseas  in  the  essential  spirit  of  a  "regu- 
lar American  girl."  She  asked  no  favors  that  she  could 
not  a  hundred  times  repay  in  service;  she  paid  her  own 
way  except  for  meager  personal  expenses,  in  the  spirit 
of  true  sport,  spending  herself  recklessly  in  the  cause  in 
which  she  was  little  less  than  a  fanatic.  And  all  the  enter- 
tainers in  France  have  a  right  to  part  of  her  glory,  which 
she  would  be  the  last  to  begrudge  them,  for  all  shared  the 
same  common  danger  and  rose  to  the  glorious  opportunities 
of  that  unforgettable  time. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  OVER  THERE  THEATRE  LEAGUE  ENTERS 

'^Suii  the  action  to  the  wordt  the  word  to  the  action.^^ 

Hamlet. 

The  spontaneous  outburst  of  ''Americanism"  which  was 
set  in  operation  at  the  Palace  Theatre,  in  April,  1918, 
did  not  wane.  It  developed  into  a  mighty  force.  The 
whole  American  stage  and  lyceum  wanted  to  go  to  the 
front — now — today.  And  unable  to  get  overseas  at  once, 
its  members  put  their  forces  into  immediate  action  at 
home.  They  visited  the  American  camps;  they  threw  their 
energies  into  the  Liberty  Loans;  they  took  the  lead  in  all 
the  war  drives  for  funds  to  relieve  suffering.  And  they 
took  hold  enthusiastically  of  the  red  tape  whose  unwind- 
ing would  enable  them  to  join  the  rapidly  increasing 
American  troops  in  France. 

The  difficulties  that  began  to  develop  in  America — the 
almost  insurmountable  obstacles  that  beset  Mr.  McLane 
and  the  organizers  of  the  Over  There  Theatre  League — 
were  but  replicas  in  miniature  of  the  stupendous  problems 
that  confronted  the  Government  at  Washington.  Here 
was  the  urgent  call  from  General  Pershing  for  entertainers 
from  "home";  here  were  the  thousands  of  professionals 
and  semi-professionals  volunteering  their  service.  Here, 
too,  were  the  multitudinous  restrictions  and  complications 
of  civil  and  military  authorities — the  inquiries,  confer- 
ences, documentary  exchanges,  and  the  whole  gamut  of 
routine  which  necessarily  develops  under  war  conditions. 
The  government  problems  were  of  first  consequence — they 
must  have  the  right  of  way — all  else  was  secondary. 

The  difficulties  met  by  all  the  subsidiary  agencies  and 
their  cooperating  organizations  were  of  minor  consequence 

80 


THE  OVER   THERE  THEATRE  LEAGUE   ENTERS  81 

when  placed  in  the  historical  Ught  of  achievement  itself. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  well  to  give  an  insight  into  the  details, 
precautionary  measures,  and  infinite  patience  required  in 
even  so  comparatively  limited  a  service  as  that  of  recruit- 
ing entertainers  for  the  Army.  The  response  to  the  McLane- 
Ames  appeals  had  ''swamped"  all  the  channels  for  securing 
passports,  for  securing  transportation,  and  for  all  govern- 
ment decisions.  The  theatrical  world  stood  ready  to  go 
to  France  en  masse  and  now.  How  could  it  be  absorbed? 
What  regulations  would  it  be  necessary  to  set  up?  What 
were  to  be  the  military  restrictions?  These  are  but  a 
suggestion  of  the  thousand  and  one  points  of  detail  to  be 
carried  through. 

Following  the  Palace  Theatre  meeting,  there  ensued  an 
inevitable  period  of  roughing  out  the  great  work  ahead 
through  committee  meetings  and  through  what  army  officers 
call  the  "exploitation  of  documents"  for  the  purpose  of 
meeting  all  the  requirements  of  the  Government.  These 
documents  were  mainly  the  elaborate  questionnaires  sent 
to  the  volunteers,  to  be  filled  out  with  a  complex  and  be- 
wildering variety  of  information.  Each  item  of  this  in- 
formation was  designed  to  settle  some  practical  question 
of  eligibility  for  overseas  service. 

The  number  of  counts  on  which  the  most  ardent  and 
apparently  the  most  eligible  entertainers  could  be  dis- 
qualified was  extensive  and  seemed  to  increase  weekly. 
There  was  the  question  of  the  draft,  which  cut  out  all 
the  young  and  able-bodied  men  entertainers  at  the  start, 
and  which  always  kept  back  a  large  number  of  men,  on  the 
borderland  of  physical  fitness.  Then  there  was  the  ques- 
tion of  nationality,  raised  by  our  Allies,  a  ban  which  cropped 
out  most  unexpectedly.  It  was  a  prime  deterrent,  especially 
when  a  drastic  interpretation  was  made  excluding  even 
American  citizens,  one  of  whose  parents  had  been  born 
in  an  enemy  country.  There  was  also  the  later  ruling 
forbidding  husbands  and  wives  to  go  over  and  the  ruling 


^2         ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

holding  up  sisters  who  had  brothers  in  the  service,  which 
was  appUed  with  varying  strictness. 

Above  and  beyond  all,  there  was  the  condition  which 
can  be  described  only  as  the  great  drought  in  passports. 
It  was  the  time  when  every  ton  of  shipping  was  being 
concentrated  not  merely  on  the  Army  but  on  the  arm  of 
the  service  most  crucially  needed  in  France,  the  infantry, 
plus  only  the  bare  necessities  of  its  equipment.  While 
artillery,  quartermaster  supplies,  and  even  engineering 
equipment  were  held  up  on  the  docks  to  make  more  room 
for  fighting  men,  there  was  small  opportunity  of  finding 
places  for  actors  and  entertainers,  who  had  so  far  no  status 
with  the  Army  but  their  own  noble  and  patriotic  desire 
to  serve. 

The  Over  There  Theatre  League  thus  opened  its  career 
in  the  face  of  an  inexorable  situation.  The  actor  was 
willing  and  ready  to  sacrifice  a  season  if  a  decision  could 
be  made  to  sail  tomorrow,  or  even  next  week  or  next  month, 
but  could  not  face  the  uncertainty  and  delay  of  many 
weeks  during  which  all  arrangements  for  the  coming  season 
had  to  be  postponed  and  all  opportunities  for  the  immediate 
future  killed.  Hence,  with  the  best  intentions  in  the  world 
and  after  urgent  appeals  to  be  sent  "over  there, ^'  many 
of  the  great  of  the  American  theatre  had  to  forgo  their 
hope  to  serve  their  country  in  France — only  to  turn  more 
energetically  to  serving  the  soldiers  in  America.  Thousands 
waited  eagerly,  as  week  after  week  passed  by,  for  the  favor- 
able decision  from  Washington  which  must  sooner  or  later 
come  and  break  the  passport  ban.  The  first  volunteers 
among  the  "over  there"  entertainers  waited  weeks  at  their 
own  expense,  with  spirits  undismayed,  already  trained, 
contracted,  equipped,  inoculated,  and  ready  for  the  great 
war  circuit. 


Here  enters  another  personality,  one  of  the  leaders  of 


THE  OVER  THERE  THEATRE  LEAGUE  iENTERS  83 

the  American  stage — James  Forbes,  dramatist.  It  was  in 
May,  1918,  that  this  inspiring  leader  took  command  of 
the  Over  There  Theatre  League.  Mr.  Forbes  accepted 
the  title  of  Chairman  of  the  Program  Committee  of  the 
Over  There  Theatre  League,  but  his  duties  could  better 
be  described  by  some  such  title  as  Czar,  Lord  High  Pro- 
tector, Man-of-All-Work,  and  Chief  of  Staff,  with  other 
innumerable  duties  thrown  in.  Mr.  Forbes  confessed  that 
he  preferred  the  simpler  but  much  more  expressive  title 
of  Chief  Doormat. 

This  is  Mr.  Forbes^s  own  outline  of  his  induction  into 
the  service.  Telephone  conversation  between  Ames  and 
Forbes,  as  reported  from  Forbes's  end: 

''How  are  you?"  said  Ames. 

''Well,"  said  I. 

"And  strong?"  said  he. 

"Yes,"  said  I. 

"That's  good,"  said  he. 

"And  how  is  the  League?"  said  I. 

"Fine.     I've  decided  to  tm-n  it  over  to  you,"  said  he. 

And  never  a  word  said  I.    My  motor  wasn't  transmitting. 

"I'm  going  to  be  its  godfather,"  said  he. 

"And  what  am  I  going  to  do?"  said  I. 

"The  work,"  said  he. 

Mr.  Forbes  is  a  man  of  vigorous  ideas  and  action.  He 
had  already  got  into  war  work  long  before  the  Palace 
Theatre  meeting,  having  volunteered  for  the  War  Camp 
Community  Service,  and  with  Mr.  Marc  Klaw  and  others, 
helped  to  put  on  its  feet  back  in  October,  1917,  an  organ- 
ization later  perfected  by  the  War  Camp  Community 
Service  and  the  "Y"  entertainment  section,  whereby  the 
soldiers  in  home  camps  should  organize  amusement  com- 
panies themselves.  Mr.  Forbes  went  down  to  Washington 
and  volunteered  his  services  to  the  Government.  In  the 
late  fall  he  instituted  at  the  War  Department  a  card  index 
system  covering  all  the  talent  in  the  American  Army — 
a  stupendous  undertaking  in  itself.    General  Kuhn,  Com- 


84  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

manding  General  of  Camp  Meade,  who  later  commanded 
the  Seventy-Ninth  Division  in  France,  cordially  sup- 
ported the  Forbes  plan,  as  it  paralleled  very  closely  the 
organization  General  Kuhn  had  himself  witnessed  on  his 
recent  visit  to  the  British  Army  front  in  France. 

The  first  service  of  Mr.  Forbes  for  the  Over  There  Theatre 
League  was  to  set  up  a  practical  plan  for  ascertaining  the 
exact  requirements  of  the  Army.  His  plan  was  to  give 
the  volunteers  an  effective  and  realistic  trial  on  this  side 
before  sending  them  abroad.  The  League  found  an  ideal 
stage  ready  for  this  purpose  in  the  big  hall  at  Ellis  Island, 
where  thousands  of  sailors  from  destroyers,  mine  sweeping, 
and  home  fleets  constituted  a  steady  audience  with  just 
the  kind  of  criticism  that  was  needed  for  ''try-outs."  Every 
Thursday  night  a  new  group  of  volunteers  was  tried  on  the 
ever-willing  crowd  of  ''gobs"  at  Ellis  Island  and  the  results 
were  almost  always  decisive.  This  was  another  instance 
where  the  Navy  served  the  Army.  Mr.  Forbes  soon  dis- 
covered what  he  had  long  suspected — that  the  boys  re- 
served their  greatest  welcome  for  the  highest  type  of  acts. 

Among  the  whistles,  cheers,  and  yells  with  which  this 
audience  of  more  than  two  thousand  fighting  men  greeted 
the  opening  of  every  performance,  many  professionals 
discovered  that  they  were  just  beginning  to  learn  what 
a  stage  reception  could  be.  As  the  program  progressed 
the  jazz  dances,  monologuists,  and  comedy  acts  were  re- 
ceived with  discriminating  good  humor.  The  men  joined 
in  one  of  those  great  chorus  songs  of  the  War,  which  can 
be  heard  in  all  their  beauty  only  as  the  great  surge  of 
men's  voices  swings  up  to  the  platform.  This  was  usually 
the  time  to  put  on  a  "straight"  singer. 

There  were  thrills  in  those  early  days,  but  life  for  most 
of  the  volunteers  seemed  to  be  just  one  delay  after  another. 
All  the  volunteering,  all  the  training,  all  the  sacrifices 
were  dependent  on  one  little  piece  of  paper  with  a  big 
seal  in  the  comer.    June  passed  and  July,  and  still  there 


THE  OVER  THERE  THEATRE  LEAGUE  ENTERS     85 

were  no  passports.  The  German  drive  was  at  its  zenith; 
the  Marines  were  fighting  their  dogged  way  through  Belleau 
Wood;  the  American  Army  was  still  in  the  transport 
crisis;  and  the  actors,  a  modest,  almost  forgotten  force, 
were  still  desperately  holding  a  line  along  Broadway.  There 
is  a  limit  to  the  time  that  even  an  actor,  famed  as  he  is 
for  happy  improvidence,  can  live  without  working.  And 
this  limit  approached,  arrived,  and  passed  for  many  of  the 
first  volunteers.  ^'There  were  noble  souls  among  them," 
says  Mr.  Forbes,  in  relating  the  experiences  of  those  try- 
ing days.  "No  one  will  ever  realize  the  great  heart  of  our 
American  stage  folk.    They  were  true  patriots." 

Optimism  impelled  alike  the  successful  actor  and  the 
still  struggling  one  to  give  up  all  in  the  hope  that  the  ever 
receding  "next  week"  would  see  them  sail.  One  man 
sold  his  home,  his  car,  and  most  of  his  worldly  goods,  and 
took  a  small  room  in  town,  spending  the  weeks  of  scorch- 
ing July  weather  in  waiting  for  the  opportunity  for  which 
he  had  sacrificed  everything.  There  is  an  end  to  New 
York  engagements,  even  for  the  strongest  headliner  in 
vaudeville,  and  after  playing  the  Palace  Theatre  and  the 
"subway  circuit"  as  much  as  they  would  stand,  one  actor 
after  another  found  himself  stranded  in  the  metropolis 
in  midsunmier,  a  very  unenviable  role  to  play  among 
a  city  full  of  friends  who  would  keep  exclaiming:  "Why, 
I  thought  you  were  going  to  France!"  With  fine  spirit 
they  pitched  in  and  filled  dates  around  the  camps,  but  the 
"neither  here  nor  there"  sensation  was  a  grievous  tax  on 
the  temperament  of  the  artist. 

An  unexpected  revelation  of  the  questionnaires  was  the 
large  number  of  vaudevillians  and  professional  people 
who  were  of  German,  Austrian,  or  German-Jewish  parent- 
age. The  regulations  in  this  case  were  very  strict.  They 
required  that  neither  the  actor  nor  his  parents  should  be 
of  alien  citizenship.  The  first  quartet  to  start  for  France 
was  crippled  by  the  elimination,  right  at  the  very  pier,  of 


86  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

the  perfectly  loyal  American  citizen  of  Austrian  parentage, 
who  was  to  act  as  their  accompanist.  This  bore  as  hard 
on  sons  and  daughters  of  German-Alsatians  and  German- 
Poles  as  on  bona-fide  Germans;  it  produced  heartburning 
complications  without  number. 


All  this  time  the  volunteers  who  had  passed  muster 
were  being  inoculated  and  photographed  and  measured  for 
their  uniforms;  equipment  was  bought  and  kits  got  to- 
gether and  made  ready;  and  the  long  list  of  entertainers 
was  grouped  and  regrouped  into  the  teams  of  little  units 
which  it  was  hoped  would  harmonize  into  complete  pro- 
gram companies  over  there.  The  uniforms  evoked  a  varied 
reaction.  "Well,  I  should  say/^  said  one  young  lady, 
"the  boys  will  certainly  be  heroes  to  face  us  now."  The 
general  remark  was,  "I  am  willing  to  do  this  for  my  coun- 
try, but  for  no  one  else."  But  the  real  feeling,  as  Mr. 
Forbes  and  many  others  can  testify,  was  a  new  "pride  in 
belonging,"  which  a  real  uniform,  a  uniform  that  already 
has  a  tradition  and  history  behind  it,  cultivates  above  all 
other  agencies  of  comradeship  and  service. 

While  the  passport  drought  continued  unabated,  the 
"fathers''  at  Washington  provided  one  or  two  surprise 
rulings  which  were  all  in  the  day's  work  in  running  the 
War,  but  which  nearly  split  the  little  army  of  actors,  al- 
ready impatient  to  the  point  of  exhaustion,  from  end  to 
end.  The  most  interesting  of  these  bombshells  was  the 
celebrated  "husband  and  wife"  ruling,  which  descended 
in  July,  1918,  and  forbade  both  members  of  that  well- 
known  partnership  to  go  to  France  with  the  same  army. 

"Vaudeville,  as  all  those  who  know  it  understand," 
explains  Mr.  Forbes,  "is  a  hopelessly  domestic  profession. 
The  League's  lists  were  at  that  time  crowded  with  hus- 
bands and  wives,  many  of  whom  had  given  up  all  their 
contracts  and  even  sold  or  leased  their  goods,  in  the  early 
expectation  of  going  overseas. 


THE  OVER  THERE  THEATRE  LEAGUE   ENTERS  87 

"The  government  ruling  came  on  Saturday,  and  after 
the  League  office  in  the  Little  Theatre  had  descended  to 
a  state  of  complete  consternation,  it  was  decided  to  give 
these  hopeful  couples  at  least  a  peaceful  Sunday  before 
breaking  the  news  to  them.  Even  then  they  hung  on, 
and  divorces  were  really  considered  if  that  was  the  only 
way  to  get  over." 

Eventually,  after  a  frantic  exchange  of  cables,  Mr.  Carter 
obtained  rescindment  of  this  order  direct  from  General 
Pershing,  and  hope  again  came  to  the  Little  Theatre  offices. 

These  cold  statements  seem  trivial  now,  but  every  prob- 
lem involved  men  and  women — individuals  used  to  quick 
decision  and  movement  on  a  moment's  notice.  No  one 
was  used  to  war  conditions  or  war  regulations.  The  changes 
in  rulings  and  consequent  delays  during  that  intolerably 
hot  summer  made  it  the  most  trying  time  in  the  lives  of 
those  connected  with  the  entertainment  work,  but  the 
entertainers  met  the  trials  bravely  and  well. 

The  first  volunteers  under  the  Over  There  Theatre 
League  sailed  on  July  31,  1918,  the  last  on  May  15,  1919. 
The  League  ceased  its  activities  on  July  15,  1919. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A  BOMBARDMENT  OF  SONGS  AND  FUN 

*Wo  pains,  sir;  I  take  pleasure  in  singing,  sir.^^ 

Twelfth  Night. 

The  spirit  of  1918  brought  the  severest  test  of  the  AlUed 
cause  since  the  first  great  German  host  was  beaten  back 
at  the  Mame  in  1914.  In  this  crucial  period,  when  America 
was  bending  every  effort  to  send  troops  to  France,  and 
while  every  ship  that  went  over  had  every  available  foot 
of  space  crammed  with  troops,  leaving  even  essential 
equipment  to  be  gathered  on  the  other  side,  Mr.  McLane 
continued  to  augment  the  ranks  of  his  entertainers.  It 
was  General  Pershing  himself  who  had  said  to  Mr.  Carter: 
^'Morale  is  a  state  of  mind  upheld  by  entertainment." 

Between  March  and  July,  1918,  Mr.  McLane  responded 
to  the  emergency  by  sending  over  artists,  independent  of 
the  Over  There  Theatre  League,  including  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Forrest  Rutherford  of  Denver,  among  the  most  successful 
of  the  early  vocalists;  Myrtle  Bloomquist,  the  musical 
comedy  star  of  ''O  Lady,  Lady,''  fame,  with  her  happily 
chosen  "side  partner"  at  the  piano,  Lillian  Jackson;  Neysa 
McMein,  the  painter  and  illustrator  (who  added  actress 
and  playwright  to  her  roles  in  France) ;  James  Stanley,  the 
New  York  concert  basso,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  a  bril- 
liant pianist  and  a  favorite  overseas,  and  by  Miss  Geraldine 
Soares,  reader  and  impersonator  extraordinary;  George 
Warwick,  artist  and  chalkologist,  who  drew  and  chalked 
cheerful  pictures  on  every  front,  and  downed  language 
bars  by  drawing  whimsical  Americanisms  for  half  a  score 
of  the  motley  nationalities  on  the  Allied  battle  line;  the 
immortal  Joe  Lorraine,  banjoist;  the  Hoyt  sisters,  "Smiling 
Sue  and  Silly  Sally,"  who  sang  everything  from  Yvette 

88 


A  BOMBARDMENT  OF  SONGS  AND  FUN  89 

Guilbert's  chansons  to  "Kaiser  Bill's  a  Bum";  little  Mary 
Seller,  the  Irish  harpist,  and  Grace  Kerns,  soloist  at  St. 
Bartholomew's,  New  York,  the  first  American  girls  to 
stir  the  deathless  echoes  in  the  underground  citadel  at 
Verdun ;  Walter  Damrosch,  greatest  of  American  symphony 
conductors;  the  St.  Louis  Quartet,  composed  of  Charles 
Flesh,  Ernest  Collins,  Robert  Stark,  and  Wallace  C.  Neid- 
ringhaus,  all  residents  of  the  Mound  City  and  far  and  away 
the  most  popular  male  quartet  that  ever  came  to  France; 
Sarah  M.  Willmer,  the  plucky  Chicago  singer  who  subjected 
herself  to  every  hardship  an  artist  couM  stand,  including 
drenchings  from  the  weather  and  gas  from  the  Germans; 
Paula  Lind  Ayers,  the  girl  who  sang  the  shell-shock  patients 
to  health  again ;  Tsianina,  daughter  of  a  real  Cherokee  Indian 
chief,  who  danced  and  sang  to  the  music  of  her  forefathers; 
and  finally,  omitting  many,  many  others,  a  splendid  little 
army  of  unselfish  and  devoted  troubadours.  Miss  Margaret 
Wilson  herself,  the  President's  daughter,  who  went  over 
with  her  singing  teacher,  Mr.  Ross  David. 

These  are  some  of  the  actors  in  the  drama.  When  the 
"Big  Push"  began  in  earnest  with  the  great  German  drive 
on  March  21,  1918,  and  the  whole  American  military 
policy  was  accelerated  to  the  utmost  limit  to  stop  what 
looked  like  a  very  imminent  disaster- to  the  Allied  cause, 
whatever  regularity  there  had  been  in  the  lives  of  the 
entertainers  disappeared.  In  the  swift  movements  of 
troops  from  training  areas  to  trenches  and  from  one  section 
of  France  to  another,  the  entertainment  policy  was  adapted 
"to  play  anywhere  and  everywhere"  the  men  might  be, 
whether  this  happened  to  be  on  the  road  the  night  before 
they  went  into  action,  or  the  morning  after  they  came 
out.  The  S.  O.  S.  still  remained  a  stable  area,  though  new 
camps  and  veritable  cities,  like  the  great  60,000  population 
camp  around  Gievres,  were  gi-owing  up  weekly  along  the 
American  lines  of  communication.  Before  this  enormous 
multiplication  of  arriving  troops  and  of  new  camps  and 


90  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

troop  centers,  the  number  of  entertainers  seemed  micro- 
scopic in  the  face  of  the  huge  forces  which  had  suddenly 
set  themselves  in  motion.  The  organization  adapted  itself 
to  conditions  as  best  it  could,  especially  in  administering 
specified  areas  by  the  regional  system  instead  of  trying  to 
follow  specific  units  of  rapidly  moving  troops,  and  it  fell 
to  the  lot  of  every  entertainer  who  was  in  France  during 
this  ominous  period  to  play  as  he  could  under  any  and 
all  circumstances  that  developed. 


The  experiences  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forrest  Rutherford, 
who  went  over  in  the  middle  of  March,  illustrate  splendidly 
what  two  good-humored,  thoroughly  human  entertainers 
could  do  for  the  American  Army  at  this  stage  of  the  War. 
Mr.  Rutherford  was  a  business  man,  to  whom  singing 
was  a  delightful  and  constantly  practiced  avocation.  He 
had  had  many  years^  experience  in  concert  singing  in  the 
West,  particularly  in  and  around  Denver,  his  home  town. 
His  wife  had  been  an  accompanist  and  a  very  competent 
musician  before  her  marriage.  Mr.  Rutherford  had  a 
repertoire  of  droll  readings  and  impersonations  which  he 
sandwiched  in  liberally  throughout  the  program.  The 
Rutherfords  usually '  ended  with  an  uproarious  concert  in 
which  the  audience  was  the  dominant  factor,  and  the  test 
of  a  big  evening — "Did  you  boys  have  a  good  time?'^ — was 
answered  in  a  thunderous  affirmative  through  song  after  song 
under  Mr.  Rutherford's  energetic  and  contagious  leadership. 

The  Rutherfords  early  in  April  went  straight  up  to  the 
Toul  sector.  Throughout  all  that  long  spring,  when  the 
veteran  divisions  were  battling  in  the  practice  sectors 
north  and  northwest  of  that  great  fortress  town,  they 
wove  a  network  of  shows  and  traced  out  a  tireless  itinerary 
of  cheer  which  kept  pace,  as  much  as  one  entertainment 
party  could  do  it,  with  the  rapidly  shifting  troop  move- 
ments of  the  time. 


A  BOMBARDMENT  OF  SONGS  AND  FUN        91 

They  gave  their  show  ''anywhere" — sometimes  in  real 
huts  and  real  halls.  Usually  when  they  drove  into  a  town 
in  their  three-ton  truck,  it  was  simply  a  case  of  stopping 
in  the  largest  open  space  and  telUng  the  boys,  subject  to 
censorship  by  the  officers,  that  there  was  going  to  be  a 
show  in  an  hour.  They  then  went  to  the  nearest  hut, 
if  there  was  one,  or  to  any  house  in  sight  with  a  roof  on, 
prinked  up  a  bit,  foraged  for  a  meal,  and  came  back  to  that 
particular  puddle  in  the  sea  of  mud  where  they  had  left 
the  truck.  Here  already  a  crowd  of  doughboys  would  have 
gathered  with  some  live  spirit  beating  out  ragtime  on  the  piano 
— it  seemed  a  shame  to  disturb  them  by  an  entertainment. 

Mrs.  Rutherford  struck  the  first  notes  of  "On  the  Road 
to  Mandalay" — and  the  boys  were  convinced  that  a  real 
show  was  on.  Soon  the  whole  town,  French  soldiers,  civil- 
ians, and  the  usual  troop  of  black-eyed  youngsters,  reen- 
forced  the  silent  ranks  of  appreciative  Americans  clustered 
around  the  truck.  Then  Mr.  Rutherford  would  lean  over 
the  side  of  the  truck  and  tell  some  real  American  stories. 
During  the  handshaking  farewells  which  followed,  some 
honest-to-goodness  doughboy  would  exclaim  fervently: 
"Gee,  I'd  rather  hear  the  old  stories  well  told  than  all  the 
new  ones  in  the  world!" 

The  chauffeur  cranked  up  the  truck  and  they  slowly 
oozed  through  the  mud  and  lurched  around  the  corner 
toward  the  next  town,  with  the  strains  of  "Glory,  Glory, 
Hallelujah,"  or  some  other  splendid  refrain,  ringing  in 
their  ears  from  hundreds  of  manly  throats.  The  Ruther- 
fords,  clinging  to  each  other  and  to  the  jolting  piano,  wiped 
the  tears  from  their  eyes  and  declared:  "This  is  the  great- 
est life  in  the  world!" 


What  experience  could  be  more  romantic  than  that  of 
Joe  Lorraine  and  his  bull-necked  banjo?  "SmiUng  Joe" 
came  over  in  April,  1918,  with  a  party  of  secretaries  on  the 


92  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

S.  S.  Victoria.  Being  a  "one-man  show,"  he  simply  slung 
his  banjo  over  his  shoulder  on  arriving  in  Paris  and  hmped 
siway.  He  stayed  in  France  five  months  and  gave  over 
six  hundred  performances,  not  coimting  the  times  when 
he  gave  a  show  "every  time  a  boy  who  saw  the  banjo  over 
his  back  asked  him  if  he  could  play."  Joe^s  method  was  to 
go  up  with  the  troops  wherever  they  went,  eating  and  sleep- 
ing where  he  could,  and  playing  and  singing  almost  literally 
all  the  time.  Imagine  him  sitting  on  a  fallen  tree  trunk 
in  the  Argonne,  for  instance,  while  an  artillery  unit  under 
camouflage  lay  in  a  circle  all  around  him  and  joined  in 
the  choruses  of  the  Southern  lullabies  and  the  old-fashioned 
coon  songs,  which  never  sound  quite  so  beautiful  as  when 
they  are  twanged  on  a  real  old  banjo. 

The  best  proof  of  Joe's  travels  was  this  banjo.  All  over 
it  on  every  inch  of  space  there  were  scrawled  and  scribbled 
and  printed  the  names  of  his  auditors.  He  had  over  700 
names  on  the  banjo,  almost  all  of  them  fighting  men  from 
the  front  line.  There  is  the  name  of  the  young  American 
captain,  for  instance,  who  fired  the  first  shot  from  an 
American  gim  on  captured  German  soil ;  there  is  a  Senegalese; 
there  is  the  Marchioness  of  Marshfield,  said  to  be  the  rich- 
est woman  in  France;  there  are  privates  from  Dallas, 
Texas,  and  Cohoes,  New  York,  and  Walla  Walla,  Washing- 
ton; and  in  the  midst  of  a  little  white  circle  there  is  the 
name  of  Sergeant  Charles  Cunningham. 

You  may  not  know  the  story  of  Sergeant  Cunningham 
— it  is  one  of  the  prize  stories  of  his  division,  but  the  re- 
porters did  not  get  hold  of  it.  While  out  with  a  raiding 
party  in  No  Man's  Land  he  came  upon  eight  Germans. 
He  shot  four  of  them  and  wounded  three  others  before  a 
hand  grenade  laid  him  low;  and  then  he  crawled  back. 
Joe  Lorraine  met  him  in  a  hospital  and  was  told  by  the 
doctor  that  his  wounds  were  fatal.  Cunningham,  smiling, 
stretched  out  his  hand  to  grasp  Lorraine's  and  said:  "String 
up  the  old  banjo  and  let  us  have  a  tune,  Buddy." 


Thomas  S.  McLane 


WiNTHROP  Ames 


James  Forbes 


Johnson  Briscoe 


'M  '■^'" 


>:t  f** 


A   BOMBARDMENT  OF  SONGS  AND  PUN  93 

Joe  sung  a  little  Negro  lullaby.  Then  Cunningham  asked 
for  another,  and  Joe  played  it.  The  nurse  held  the  boy 
up,  and,  the  doctor  helping  him  to  guide  the  pen,  Cunning- 
ham wrote  his  signature  falteringly  in  a  little  unoccupied 
space  at  the  head  of  the  banjo.  There  was  a  smile  on  the 
boy^s  face  as  he  was  laid  back  on  his  cot,  but  there  were 
tears  in  the  eyes  of  the  nurses.  And  the  smile  was  still 
on  Cunningham's  face  as  he  died. 

There  is  a  little  white  space  still  left  about  Cunning- 
ham's name,  the  only  vacant  space  left  now  on  either  side 
of  the  head  of  Lorraine's  war  banjo.  "I  never  again  played 
the  tune  Cunningham  asked  for,"  said  Lorraine,  "without 
looking  at  that  little  space  and  thinking  of  the  smiling 
hero  who  'went  west'  with  the  echo  of  the  music  still  in 
his  ears." 

Lorraine  washed  dishes  for  canteeners,  helped  find  beds 
for  doughboys  in  Paris,  and  in  various  other  ways  inter- 
preted the  word  "entertainment"  with  generous  liberality. 
Although  he  was  lame,  and  by  no  means  husky  in  physique, 
he  kept  up  with  the  infantry  during  the  Argonne,  riding 
on  the  ammunition  wagons  and  in  the  big  trucks.  Many 
a  terrific  jam  around  a  shelled  crossroads  corner  heard  the 
familiar  twang  of  the  bull-necked  banjo,  and  as  the  drivers 
listened  with  a  weather  ear  for  the  well-known  whistle  of 
the  next  German  shell  they  said  to  one  another:  "There's 
that  little  'Y'  duck  with  the  banjo  back  there  somewhere." 

Joe  Lorraine  was  there  once  too  often.  One  day  in  the 
folds  and  hollows  of  the  captured  land  there  lurked  a  little 
too  much  mustard  gas.  He  didn't  know  he  was  gassed, 
however,  until  he  tried  to  whistle  and  found  his  Ups  would 
not  pucker,  but  he  could  sing  and  play,  and  so  he  went  on 
giving  shows.  But  his  face  gradually  became  paralyzed 
on  one  side.  Then  he  had  to  give  it  up  and  go  back  to 
the  hospital.  At  the  hospital  they  told  him  he  had  "a 
narrow  squeak,"  and  ordered  him  to  go  home  as  quick  as 
he  could  get  there. 


94  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

So  he  came  back  to  America,  but  he  could  not  remain. 
In  April,  1919,  he  sailed  for  France  again,  and  spent  three 
months  in  the  great  demobilization  centers,  returning  in 
July.  The  next  heard  of  Joe  Lorraine  was  that,  not  satis- 
fied with  being  a  troubadour  in  France,  he  must  try  Russia 
also!  With  one  of  the  early  groups  of  ''Y"  folk,  who  went 
to  Archangel  to  help  cheer  the  lot  of  the  little  American 
force  existing  there  in  the  dark  during  the  winter  of  1918-19, 
was  recorded  the  name  of  Joe  Lorraine,  banjoist  and 
entertainer. 


Among  those  who  met  and  loved  Joe  Lorraine  in  France 
on  his  wayward  journeyings  is  George  Warwick,  cartoonist 
and  chalkologist.  The  two  traveled  together  for  a  number 
of  weeks.  Warwick,  like  Lorraine,  was  a  whole  show  in 
himself.  He  also  came  over  early  in  June,  1918,  and  wan- 
dered around  through  the  Army  like  a  jongleur  of  old 
France,  except  that  he  made  pictures  instead  of  songs. 
Warwick  broke  down  language  barriers  that  singers  could 
not  overcome,  for  everybody  understands  a  picture.  He 
stayed  overseas  for  a  year;  he  drew  for  the  Twenty-Seventh 
Division  at  Kemmel  Hill  and  for  the  Seventy-Seventh 
Division  in  the  Argonne.  He  was  at  St.  Mihiel  and  on  the 
Marne;  he  worked  along  the  Picardy  coast  among  the 
naval  aviators  and  the  naval  base  camps,  and  he  was  one 
of  the  headliners  of  the  '^after  the  war  circuit"  in  Germany. 
Near  Verdun,  he  entertained  500  men  of  the  Twenty- 
Sixth  Division  just  before  they  went  into  a  drive  in  which 
only  sixty  of  them  came  out  unwounded. 

Warwick  gave  shows  outdoors  and  in  dugouts.  He 
drew  the  Kaiser's  picture  in  every  conceivable  place  where 
his  audience  could  throw  things  at  it.  Meals  were  irregular 
and  sleep  was  a  luxury.  Like  many  Montmartre  artists 
in  Paris,  who  draw  their  pictures  on  the  walls  of  the  Chat 
Noir  and  many  another  restaurant  for  a  free  meal,  Warwick 


A  BOMBARDMENT  OP  SONGS  AND  FUN         95 

encountered  rolling  kitchens  on  the  front  where  the  cook 
demanded  examples  of  his  art  for  a  hand-out  of  army 
beans.  ''I  gave  them  all  the  pictures  they  wanted,"  said 
Warwick  in  telling  of  it  afterwards,  ''even  if  the  cook  was 
a  horseshoer  by  trade." 

Warwick's  performance  generally  began  with  pictures  of 
the  Kaiser  in  comic  relief,  with  his  numerous  progeny; 
then,  in  a  more  serious  vein,  he  drew  striking  sketches  of 
President  Wilson,  General  Foch,  the  inimitable  Teddy, 
always  a  favorite  with  the  soldiers,  and  other  war-time 
figures.  Then  he  came  to  even  more  important  subjects 
— he  could  probably  draw  food  better  than  any  living 
artist. 

"Now  let's  have  a  banquet,"  he  would  say.  "What  will 
you  have,  boys?" 

"Draw  a  plate  of  hot  biscuit,"  shouted  a  boy  from 
Alabama,  and,  presto!  there  they  were.  Then  George 
would  draw  roast  chicken,  waffles,  salad,  and  strawberry 
shortcake  with  whipped  cream  and  great  big  red  straw- 
berries. The  boys  would  yell  at  every  stroke  of  the  chalk, 
for  these  were  the  days  when  army  stew,  slum,  corn  willy, 
and  other  famous  jokes  of  1920  and  after  were  not  jokes  at 
all,  but  day-by-day  realities  with  nothing  else  in  sight. 
After  Warwick  had  finished  up  with  ice  cream  and  a  cup 
of  real  American  coffee,  somebody  would  shout  from  the 
audience:  "Say,  there's  one  thing  you  have  forgotten. 
You  ought  to  have  a  sign  over  that  banquet,  'For  officers 
only!'  " 

Then  as  a  grand  climax — and  this  was  a  special  hit  in 
Germany — Warwick  would  draw  a  transport  fljdng  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  with  the  Statue  of  Liberty  looming  out 
of  the  west.  Did  you  ever  hear  real  applause — terrific 
applause?  You  never  did  unless  you  heard  the  dough- 
boys at  this  moment.  In  the  midst  of  this  tumult  he  would 
draw  the  "little  gray  home  in  the  west,"  or  that  little  house 
in  Dixie,  or  Indiana,  or  Cape  Cod,  or  wherever  the  majority 


96  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

of  longings  among  the  audience  were  being  directed  in 
those  long,  lonesome  days.  There  was  a  moment  of  tense 
silence — then  deep  gulps  and  an  outburst  of  thousands 
of  voices  in  song  and  cheers  swept  over  the  crowd. 


Neysa  McMein  was  an  artist,  too.  She  was  another 
early  June  product  who  played  with  special  diligence  and 
success  along  the  hospital  circuit  through  the  summer  of 
1918.  Miss  McMein  was  a  real  artist — not  only  with  her 
crayon  and  brush,  but  as  an  impressario,  actress,  play- 
wright, and  scenario  writer,  all  of  which  vocations  she 
employed  to  delight  the  doughboys.  Her  principal  side 
partners  during  the  summer  were  Anita  Parkhurst  Wilcox 
and  Jane  Bulley.  These  clever  women  put  on  one  of  the 
most  original  shows  the  boys  had  the  good  luck  to  see. 

And  this  is  how  they  did  it:  They  arrive  in  a  village, 
let  us  say,  just  as  the  band  is  concluding  'The  Star-Spangled 
Banner'^  at  evening  retreat.  Miss  McMein  jumps  out 
of  the  little  car,  as  the  groups  are  just  unstiffening  from 
^'Attention.'' 

"Boys,  do  you  want  a  show  tonight?'' 

Nobody  had  expected  them.  But  the  doughboys  are 
quick  on  a  trigger.  "We  sure  do!"  comes  back  the  response 
from  the  surprised  camp. 

A  show  on  the  spot  results.  It  is  first  necessary  to  find 
a  place  to  give  it.  Somebody  calls,  "Fall  in!"  About 
500  men  follow  along  through  the  winding  streets  to  an 
old  barracks  suggested  as  a  good  "theatre."  By  the  time 
the  crowd  reaches  the  theatre  it  is  about  three  times  too 
large.  So  Miss  McMein  orders:  "About  face!"  and  leads 
the  way  to  the  village  square.  The  mob  heaves  an  old 
manure  wagon  up  in  front  of  a  big  bam  door.  The  artists 
nail  their  sketching  papers  and  movie  curtain  to  the  barn 
door,  put  two  boxes  on  the  wagon  for  table  and  chairs — 
and  all  is  set  for  the  show. 


A   BOMBARDMENT  OF   SONGS   AND   PUN  97 

Like  the  offerings  of  Homer  for  the  Greek  villagers  in 
ancient  times,  the  show  added  a  little  at  every  performance. 
Its  usual  title  was  ''Orlando  Slum,  a  Man  of  Mystery/^ 
It  was  an  amateur  play  cast  in  a  movie  scenario  art  form. 
Mrs.  Wilcox  was  the  heroine,  Susie  Coughdrop  of  Bird 
Center,  Iowa,  U.  S.  A.,  a  lady  of  large  eyes  and  many 
adventures.  Miss  McMein  was  the  villainous  vamp  and 
the  rest  of  the  cast  was  selected  from  the  audience.  Miss 
McMein,  cruising  around  among  the  audience,  suddenly 
pounces  on  a  blushing  victim  and  calls  loudly: 

"Jane,  can  we  have  a  villain  with  blue  eyes?" 

"Stand  him  up  so  I  can  look  him  over,"  replies  Jane. 

Needless  to  state,  500  brother  soldiers  are  perfectly  ready 
to  "stand  him  up."  Thus  Orlando,  the  Man  of  Mystery, 
is  found  and  cast  in  his  part.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
field  Susie  Coughdrop  calls : 

"O,  Jane,  this  one  has  a  lovely  profile  for  a  hero — just 
look." 

Mid  another  uproar,  Harold,  the  Hero,  is  chosen  with 
loud  acclaim.  A  beard,  some  make-up,  a  row  of  medals, 
a  pair  of  bone  spectacles  for  the  villain,  and  a  red  sash 
for  the  vamp,  and  the  stupendous  plot  is  ready  to  unroll. 
One  by  one  the  thrills  are  reeled  off,  until  at  last  the  vamp- 
ing villainous  lady  spy  eats  corn  willy  and  dies. 

One  can  imagine  the  way  anywhere  from  300  to  1,500 
men  just  out  of  the  trenches  howled  at  a  performance  like 
this.  When  Neysa  and  her  troupe  gave  it  for  the  marines 
— which  they  did  for  a  month  devoted  to  cornering  through 
the  Marne  sector — one  company  of  marines  followed  them 
for  four  or  five  shows  in  near-by  towns  and  "laughed  their 
heads  off"  at  the  last  performance  as  unrestrainedly  as 
at  the  first.  The  marines'  famous  battle  hymn,  "The 
Halls  of  Montezuma,"  is  the  greatest  tribute  the  marines 
can  pay  to  any  visiting  pal,  and  it  rang  out  scores  of  times 
on  the  tours  of  Neysa  McMein. 

Neysa's  principal  performance  was,  of  course,  her  own 


98  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

sketches  and  impromptu  drawings  of  all  sorts  of  things 
which  ^^came  into  her  head"  at  the  front.  She  sketched 
on  blank  walls  and  tents;  she  worked  with  her  chalk  by 
flashhght,  candle  light,  and  searchlight,  as  well  as  by 
intermittent  daylight.  Also  she  put  on  one  of  the  most 
whimsical  and  farcical  movie  productions  ever  seen  on  any 
screen.  Windsor  McKay  drew  it.  The  heroine  was  ''Gertie, 
the  Dinosaur.''  Gertie  had  many  adventures  with  the 
Germans  in  the  War,  and  her  prehistoric  temperament 
unfolded  its  gargantuan  humor  through  a  thrilling  series 
of  episodes  before  the  Flood,  at  the  end  of  which  Gertie 
completely  "strafed"  the  Hun  and  returned  to  her  dino- 
sauric  nest  chortling  in  Jabberwockian  glee. 

Jane  Bulley,  who  accompanied  Neysa  on  some  of  her 
tours,  tells  of  a  characteristic  McMein  performance  during 
the  hectic  midsummer  on  the  Marne: 

"The  night  we  played  for  our  pet  battery,"  she  says, 
"things  were  expected  to  happen  at  any  minute,  and  the 
major  issued  us  gas  masks  directly  we  arrived.  How- 
ever, it  isn't  the  thing  to  start  anything  before  dark  over 
there.  They  decided  that  if  we  had  our  show  directly  after 
dinner,  even  if  the  Hun  meant  to  get  busy  that  night, 
we  could  all  be  finished  before  he  began. 

"They  let  the  men  congregate  in  an  old  barn  and  they 
surely  were  a  beguiling  crowd  of  generous  enthusiasts. 
They  seemed  to  be  leaking  into  the  building  from  all  di- 
rections. As  we  became  accustomed  to  the  dim  light, 
we  picked  out  bunches  of  them  on  rafters,  heads  and  shoul- 
ders coming  through  old  windows  in  the  back  wall,  and 
through  cracks  high  and  low  on  the  sides. 

"What  daylight  squeezed  in  round  the  edges  of  the  men 
dwindled  away  before  Miss  McMein  had  finished  her  third 
sketch.  When  she  came  to  tackling  the  handsome  young 
French  lieutenant,  acclaimed  for  sacrifice  by  overwhelming 
popular  opinion,  we  had  to  pick  out  his  features  with 
little  pocket  flashhghts.  We'll  have  to  'hand  it'  to  the 
McMein — all  things  considered,  the  resulting  'portrait' 
wasn't  half  bad. 

"After  that  Gertie  pranced  on  to  the  scene.     Windsor 


A   BOMBARDMENT   OP   SONGS   AND    PUN  99 

McKay  probably  didn't  have  the  European  front  in  his 
mind  when  he  drew  the  12,000  pictures  that  constitute 
the  movie  film  of  ^Gertie  the  Dinosaur,'  a  great  prehistoric 
monster  who  cavorted  over  the  landscape  trying  to  behave 
like  a  little  trained  beasty.  But  'Gertie'  has  done  her  bit 
in  twenty  camps  already,  and  is  still  going  strong. 

''Our  pet  battery  took  Gertie  straight  to  their  hearts 
— so  warmly  indeed,  that  we  had  to  make  a  desperate 
dash  back  to  that  camp  next  day  in  a  Ford  that  had  rheu- 
matic springs  and  no  brakes  at  all.  For  it  was  decreed 
that  Gertie  should  serve  the  battery  as  a  mascot.  So 
next  morning  they  took  Miss  McMein  out  to  the  guns 
with  three  cans  of  paint  and  some  brushes  that  you'd  like 
to  have  seen  anyone  offer  her  back  in  the  States.  With 
the  entire  battery  lined  up  on  the  sidelines,  she  painted 
violent  orange,  blue,  and  green  Gerties  on  six  fine  big  guns. 

"Some  of  us  watched  her  operations  through  a  long 
range  glass  up  in  an  observation  post.  By  and  by  we 
swung  the  glass  over  to  a  point  about  five  miles  away 
where  we  could  see  German  shells  exploding  in  a  little 
French  town  that  they  were  tearing  to  bits.  There  seemed 
to  be  a  strange  mixture  of  good  nature  and  nastiness  abroad 
that  morning. '^ 

Miss  McMein's  own  account  of  her  work  is  becomingly 
modest,  but  an  artist  certainly  deserves  success  who  writes, 
as  she  wrote  to  Mr.  McLane  in  July: 

"In  my  whole  life  I  have  never  worked  so  hard  nor  | 
been  so  happy.     I  had  no  idea  of  the  importance  of  this   i 
job  nor  of  the  size  of  our  'Y'  organization  when  I  came    \ 
over  here.     As  I  told  you  before  I  left,  my  whole  idea  was    j 
service.     My  plan  was  to  join  Margaret  Mayo,  as  she    | 
had  asked  me  to  do,  but  when  I  got  here  the  Paris  office     i 
had  other  plans,  so  with  Jane  BuUey  and  another  New 
York  artist  we've  evolved  a  'show'  of  our  own,  in  which 
we  make  pictures,  dance,  sing,  show  'Gertie,  the  Dinosaur/     i 
and  put  on  a  melodrama — needless  to  say  we  have  a  per- 
fectly magnificent  time. 

"Incidentally,  I  used  to  be  rather  fussy  about  my  work, 
but  here  I've  made  pictures  in  cow-pastures,  on  manure 


100  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

wagons,  on  the  walls  of  hospitals,  on  operating  tables — 
and  usually  a  barn  door  or  a  canteen  table — and  while  this 
war  may  have  put  the  jinx  on  my  career  as  an  artist,  it  has 
made  me  a  first-class  roustabout.  I  can  build  an  easel 
or  push  a  piano  aroimd  with  equal  ease." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

STRENUOUS  DAYS  FOR  THE  TROUPERS 

^'Hang  out  our  banners  on  the  outward  walls; 
The  cry  is  still,  'They  come.'  " 

Macbeth. 

We  have  seen  the  Liberty  Quartet,  the  first  entertain- 
ment unit  to  he  sent  over  by  Mr.  McLane's  office,  spUt 
up  in  the  early  spring  so  that  the  soldiers  might  make  the 
most  of  their  services.  We  followed, .;t}';ie  ,  £i,dv^t^4res :  of 
Miss  Beulah  Dodge,  who  kept  on  singing  long  after  her 
voice  had  succumbed  to  the  climate  and  who  did  such 
splendid  work  at  Aix  as  canteen  worker  while  she  was 
recovering.  We  have  also  seen  how  Albert  Wiederhold 
went  on  tour  through  the  First  Division  with  Mary  Roches- 
ter during  the  spring  and  summer.  We  now  find  them  all 
through  the  summer  right  up  with  the  guns  at  the  front. 
The  third  member  of  the  quartet,  John  Steel,  the  tenor, 
is  continuing  his  service  by  joining  forces  with  two  very 
able  musicians,  Miss  Myrtle  Bloomquist,  contralto,  and 
Miss  Lillian  Jackson,  pianist,  forming  an  ideal  little  con- 
cert troupe  called  'Three  of  a  Kind.''  They  are  playing 
the  front  line  divisions,  specializing  on  the  lines  of  com- 
munication among  the  railway  troops.  We  see  them  sing- 
ing for  a  heavy  artillery  regiment  in  the  Verdun  sector, 
in  which  their  concert  is  given  from  the  flat  car  on  which 
the  big  Yankee  naval  gun  is  furnishing  a  magnificent 
background,  while  the  audience  is  lined  up  along  the  tracks. 

Mr.  Steel  figured  with  pardonable  pride  that  at  least 
600,000  soldiers  had  come  within  the  sound  of  his  voice 
during  the  six  months  he  spent  abroad.  Most  of  the  sum- 
mer tour  of  the  "Three  of  a  Kind"  troupe  was  spent  within 
fifteen  miles  of  the  front  line.    Over  and  over  again  they 

101 


102  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

sang  in  camouflaged  huts  two  miles  or  less  from  the  German 
trenches.  On  one  occasion  they  used  a  piano  that  had 
been  hit  only  a  few  days  before  by  a  German  shell — not 
to  speak  of  the  many  pianos  which,  Miss  Jackson  said, 
should  have  perished  in  this  way. 

Mr.  Steel  went  home  in  the  late  fall.  Miss  Bloomquist 
and  Miss  Jackson  after  the  Armistice  admitted  Miss  Elsie 
Stevenson,  a  very  capable  violinist,  to  their  little  family, 
and  rechristened  the  party  the  ''Amex  Trio."  These  three 
girls  then  entered  into  another,  if  less  spectacular,  chapter 
of  adventures.  They  were  assigned  to  the  Aix-les-Bains 
Leave  Area,  where  they  cheerfully  filled  in  as  canteen 
girls  on  a  "uothing  to  do  until  tomorrow"  schedule — that 
is,  they  went  on  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  went  off 
sometime  near  midnight.  In  the  meantime  they  made 
all  their  own  evening  gowns  and  kept  up  their  entertain- 
ment schedule.  At  their  last  performance  in  Paris  in  June, 
1919,  Miss  Bloomquist  and  Miss  Jackson  were  able  to 
claim  the  record  of  serving  fourteen  months  as  enter- 
tainers in  France  without  canceling  a  single  engagement. 


The  achievements  of  the  women  equaled  those  of  the 
ancient  Spartans.  There  was  the  tour  of  Miss  Mary  Seller, 
the  well-known  Irish  harpist,  and  Miss  Grace  Kerns,  the 
petite  soprano  soloist  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Church  in  New 
York.  These  two  early  robins  went  over  in  May.  Miss 
Seller  soon  became  known  far  and  wide  on  the  lines  as 
"The  Little  Minstrel  of  the  Trenches."  Miss  Kerns,  who 
stands  on  a  stool  when  she  sings  in  church  and  who  at 
home  contested  with  Emma  Trentini  the  title  of  being  the 
smallest  soprano  in  America,  sang  her  way  into  the  dough- 
boys' hearts  with  her  wonderful  repertoire  of  favorites, 
ranging  from  '^O,  Laddie,  My  Laddie"  and  the  magnificent 
aria  from  the  second  act  of  "Louise,"  to  "Dear  Old  Pal 
of  Mine"  and  "The  Rose  of  No  Man's  Land." 


STRENUOUS  DAYS  FOR  THE  TROUPERS        103 

We  find  these  two  wandering  minstrels  singing  their 
"ballads,  songs,  and  snatches"  up  as  near  the  front  as 
women  were  allowed  to  go.  At  one  performance  an  air 
raid  brought  the  usual  precaution  of  dousing  the  lights; 
after  the  German  Tauhes  had  passed  over,  leaving  half 
a  dozen  explosive  souvenirs  in  close  proximity  to  the  bar- 
racks, Miss  Seiler  found  that  one  string  of  her  precious 
harp  had  been  neatly  snipped  by  a  flying  fragment.  It 
takes  more  than  German  shrapnel  to  put  an  Irish  harp 
out  of  business,  however,  and  Miss  Seiler  continued  her 
performance  on  the  remaining  strings. 

Miss  Kerns  and  Miss  Seiler  were  probably  the  first 
American  girls  to  give  a  recital  in  the  immortal  citadel 
at  Verdun.  The  American  divisions  which  passed  through 
Verdun  in  September,  1918,  when  it  was  used  as  one  of 
the  jumping-off  places  in  the  Argonne  Drive,  never  forgot 
these  two  plucky  little  troubadours,  and  went  into  battle 
with  fragrant  memories  of  the  two  self-reliant  little  musi- 
cians giving  the  best  of  the  beauty  that  was  in  them  on 
this  exposed  and  ruined  front.  Miss  Kerns  came  back 
in  the  late  fall  to  resume  her  engagements  in  New  York, 
but  Miss  Seiler  stayed  through  until  June,  1919,  and  car- 
ried the  lilt  of  her  harp  from  Aix-les-Bains  and  Nice  up 
through  the  lonelier  sectors  of  the  Coblenz  front  before 
she  finally  '^called  it  a  war"  and  came  home. 


The  Hoyt  sisters,  Grace  and  Frances,  were  two  American 
girls,  properly  and  conventionally  billed  as  singers  and 
elocutionists,  who  went  over  in  July,  1918,  but  before  they 
had  been  in  France  many  weeks,  became  known  wherever 
they  went  as  "Smihng  Sue"  and  ''Silly  Sally."  These 
sisters  had  a  cosmopolitan  quality,  coupled  with  an  un- 
usual amount  of  charm  and  American  ''pep,"  which  in- 
sured them  a  tumultuous  welcome. 

On  the  steamer  the  Hoyt  sisters  sang  at  the  churcn 


104  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

service;  they  sang  for  seasick  passengers;  they  taught 
some  Polish  soldiers  in  the  steerage  ^'The  Star-Spangled 
Banner'^;  they  led  fifty  Bohemian  soldiers  in  the  chorus 
of  "Over  There";  and  when  they  left  the  boat,  in  their 
most  exquisite  manner  they  sang,  "Fare  Thee  Well  and  if 
Forever'^  to  the  sailors  who  had  steered  them  safely  to 
French  soil.  You  simply  couldn't  keep  those  girls  from 
singing. 

The  sisters'  own  accounts  of  their  performances  are  full 
of  humor  and  appreciation.    This  is  one  of  Grace's  stories: 

"Last  week  we  gave  a  performance  for  about  2,000  men 
who  had  been  in  the  trenches  since  February.  Our  stage 
was  a  boxing  platform  in  a  beautiful  grove.  The  piano 
was  two  tones  below  pitch.  My  sister  sat  on  a  soap  box 
to  play  and  the  army  mules  broke  loose  during  one  of  our 
songs.  The  men  sat  and  stood  in  mud  at  least  three  inches 
deep — all  who  were  not  festooned  in  the  trees  over  our 
heads — but  we  were  all  happy.  The  nights  in  this  part  of 
France  are  very  cool,  but  we  wear  our  flufiiest  white  gowns 
when  we  sing,  for  the  boys  say  it's  a  relief  from  seeing 
uniforms.  They  keep  us  so  busy  that  we  don't  have  time 
to  feel  cold.  The  old  peasants  and  children — there  are  of 
course  no  young  men — come  to  the  outdoor  performances 
and  we  always  do  some  of  their  folk  songs,  so  that  they 
can  sing  the  choruses  with  us." 

Another  note  from  one  of  Grace  Hoyt's  letters  illus- 
trates their  wholesome  and  characteristically  American 
approach  to  the  Army:  "They  (the  soldiers)  take  a  great 
amount  of  interest  in  our  gowns.  Instead  of  wearing  tight 
and  very  short  skirts  as  the  French  girls  do,  ours  are  quite 
full  and  fluffy,  and  the  boys  tell  us  frankly  they  are  glad 
to  see  some  good-looking  slippers  again." 

During  this  same  memorable  summer  an  event  occurred 
which  made  musical  mihtary  history.  It  was  the  arrival 
in  France  of  one  of  America's  greatest  musicians.  Dr. 
Walter  Damrosch,   the  distinguished  leader  of  the  New 


STRENUOUS  DAYS  FOR  THE  TROUPERS        105 

York  Symphony  Orchestra,  who  sailed  on  June  15th. 
Dr.  Damrosch  was  imbued  with  an  intense  ardor  to  serve 
America.  His  desire  was  to  head  a  company  of  musicians, 
largely  recruited  in  France,  who  would  give  a  series  of 
orchestral  concerts  in  the  large  centers  along  the  Amer- 
ican line  of  transportation.  This  generous  plan  was  made 
possible  by  the  joint  initiative  of  the  Y  M  C  A  and  a  special 
fund  given  by  Mr.  Harry  Harkness  Flagler,  president  of 
the  Symphony  Society  of  New  York. 

Military  exigencies  required  some  readjustment  of  plans, 
which  finally  resulted  in  enlarging  the  important  service 
rendered  by  this  international  artist.  Dr.  Damrosch  was 
so  honored  by  the  French  that  he  became  the  first  non- 
French  orchestra  conductor  to  be  invited  by  the  French 
Government  to  play  at  the  historic  Salle  de  TAncien  Con- 
servatoire. His  concert  at  this  famous  hall  was  part  of 
the  festivities  on  Bastille  Day,  July  14,  1918.  Among  the 
audience  were  M.  Pichon,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  M. 
Alfred  Cortot,  Acting  Minister  of  Fine  Arts,  and  many 
other  distinguished  French  and  American  guests. 

An  inspiring  feature  of  Dr.  Damrosch 's  concerts  in  France 
was  the  rendition  of  ^'The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  as 
arranged  by  a  committee  of  American  composers  headed 
by  Dr.  Damrosch  and  John  Philip  Sousa.  This  martial 
arrangement  set  the  blood  of  every  true  American  tingling 
and  the  heart  beating,  while  the  feet  kept  time.  Its  thrill 
swept  through  the  Army,  it  was  adopted  by  the  American 
Navy,  and  has  steadily  gained  headway  among  military 
bands  and  orchestras  throughout  the  country  as  the  most 
dignified  and  artistic  rendering  of  America's  great  anthem. 

Dr.  Damrosch  was  an  indefatigable  worker.  While  in 
France,  in  addition  to  his  musical  services,  he  continued 
his  generous  activity  as  president  of  the  Society  of  Amer- 
ican Friends  of  Musicians  in  France,  an  organization  formed 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  funds  to  aid  French  musicians 
and  many  foreigners  who  were  studying  music  in  France, 


106  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

and  who  had  suffered  on  account  of  the  War.  Several 
months  after  his  election  as  president  more  than  65,000 
francs  were  sent  to  the  various  societies  to  be  distributed 
among  artists  in  straitened  circumstances.  Dr.  Damrosch 
thus  combined  his  mission  of  music  to  the  soldiers  with 
substantial  aid  to  his  fellow-musicians  in  France.  Be- 
sides his  work  in  France,  he  gave  many  concerts  in  home 
camps  and  cantonments  in  America. 


The  American  Army  also  had  the  historically  suggestive 
experience  of  being  entertained  by  a  native  American 
Indian  singer,  a  Cherokee  girl,  daughter  of  a  former  chief 
of  that  tribe.  Her  name  was  Tsianina.  She  had  been 
educated  at  Eufaula  Indian  School  and  at  Wolf  Hall  in 
Denver.  Tsianina,  or,  as  the  boys  delighted  to  call  her 
because  of  her  proud  and  erect  posture,  Princess  Tsianina, 
sang  and  crooned  the  old  Indian  lullabies  of  her  forefathers 
and  did  many  of  the  stately  Indian  dances.  There  were 
15,000  Indians  in  the  American  Army,  and  Tsianina,  both 
in  America  and  overseas,  did  her  best  to  bring  to  each  and 
every  one  of  them  the  message  of  aboriginal  music  and 
culture,  to  the  study  and  expression  of  which  she  has  de- 
voted her  life. 

Tsianina  had  two  brothers  fighting  in  France.  Con- 
sequently, she  could  not  go  over  until  the  rule  was  abrogated 
which  refused  to  allow  women  entertainers  in  America  to 
go  to  France  if  any  member  of  their  immediate  family 
was  fighting  abroad.  One  of  her  brothers  was  killed,  and 
the  other,  a  member  of  the  signal  corps,  saw  action  through- 
out all  the  major  battles. 

Another  Cherokee  girl  played  Pocahontas  to  the  American 
Army.  This  was  an  Oklahoma  girl,  Galilohi,  whose  Amer- 
ican name  was  Anne  Ross.  It  was  Galilohi  who  was  chosen 
to  pose  for  the  Zolnay  statue  of  Sequoya,  one  of  her  Indian 
ancestors,  who  was  the  inventor  of  the  Cherokee  alphabet 


STRENUOUS  DAYS  FOR  THE  TROUPERS        107 

and  one  of  the  great  leaders  of  American  Indian  culture. 
Sequoya's  statue  now  stands  in  the  Hall  of  Fame  at  Wash- 
ington, and  Galilohi  was  fittingly  chosen  to  unveil  it  when 
it  was  presented  to  the  pubUc  in  1918.  The  Indian  name  ^ 
Galilohi  means  ''one  who  does  things  well,"  and  this  Indian 
princess  lived  up  to  her  ancestral  name  by  singing  and 
dancing  for  the  soldiers  of  the  Ninetieth  Division,  which 
contained  hundreds  of  Indian  soldiers.  She  also,  as  plain 
Miss  Anne  Ross,  filled  in  her  time  as  a  tireless  and  diligent 
canteen  worker  and  a  girl  of  all  work.  I 


A  distinguished  personality  of  these  strenuous  days  was 
the  eldest  daughter  of  the  President.  Margaret  Wilson 
went  to  France  on  October  23,  1918,  after  spending  the 
spring  and  summer  touring  throughout  camps  and  army 
centers  at  home,  singing  to  more  soldiers  than  have  been 
reached,  probably,  by  any  other  single  entertainer.  Her 
splendid  energy  and  enthusiastic  devotion  carried  her 
through  a  similar  trip  which  covered,  during  the  seven 
months  she  spent  abroad,  practically  every  center  that 
the  American  Army  was  then  occupying.  It  was  a  re- 
markable effort  by  a  woman  who  knew  how  far  the  magic 
of  her  name  and  the  semi-official  character  of  her  mission 
carried  a  real  message  from  the  American  people  to  the 
men  in  France. 

Miss  Wilson  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  Ross  David,  her 
singing  instructor,  who  had  traveled  with  her  on  most 
of  her  tours  throughout  America  and  who  was  himself 
an  accomplished  baritone  and  genial  platform  singer. 
Mrs.  David  was  the  accompanist,  and  this  remarkable 
woman,  herself  a  composer  and  a  poet,  raised  the  task  of 
accompanying  Miss  Wilson's  songs  to  a  very  fine  art  indeed. 


Throughout  this  whole  period  leading  up  to  the  victory 


108  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

(Armistice  Day),  and  on  till  the  last  American  soldiers 
left  France  to  return    to    their    homeland,    the    troupers 
were  in  constant  action.     Through  the  hospitals  and  con- 
valescent  camps  their  songs  and  laughter  were  ringing. 
The  entertainment  forces,  now  hundreds  strong,  threw  out 
their  barrage  of  good  nature  along  the  lines.    What  magnifi- 
cent tales  of  adventure  could  be  told  of  this  whole  loyal 
I   army  of  entertainers  if  the  limitations  of  space  would  only 
\  allow!    Tales  of  self-sacrifice,  fortitude,  courage,  patience, 
\  and  all  the  noblest  qualities  of  manhood  and  womanhood, 
but  we  must  now  turn  to   the   oncoming  invaders  under 
the  indomitable    James   Forbes — the  Troupers   from  the 
Over  There  Theatre  League. 


o 


CHAPTER  XV 

KEEPING  STEP  WITH  THE  DOUGHBOYS 

"0,  wfiat  men  dare  do!    What  men  may  do! 
What  men  daily  do,  not  knowing  what  they  do!'^ 
Much  Ado   about  Nothing. 

It  was  in  the  late  summer  of  1918  that  the  American 
Army  began  to  upset  the  idea  that  this  war  could  be  fought 
X)nly  in  the  trenches.  Wherever  the  American  Army  went, 
open  fighting  took  place — open  fighting  in  which  for  the 
first  time  in  the  whole  War  the  tide  of  victory  began  to 
set  steadily  and  surely  against  the  enemy.  In  similar 
fashion  Mr.  Forbes  and  his  much-tried  volunteers  had 
been  forced  to  ^^break  through"  the  obstructions  back 
home  in  America  before  they  could  begin  their  first  drive 
in  France.  July  dragged  on;  and  at  length  Mr.  Forbes, 
figuratively  speaking,  addressed  his  fellow-volunteers  in 
this  wise:  ^'I  have  told  you,  you  were  going  to  France  to 
act  for  the  soldiers;  and  yet  after  thirteen  weeks  you  are 
still  waiting — and  still  here.  This  is  magnificent,  but  if 
it  is  war,  then  Sherman  was  right.  And  so  I  am  going 
down  to  Washington  to  fight  it  out  on  these  lines  (apol- 
ogies to  General  Grant)  4f  it  takes  all  summer.'  "  Thus 
began  the  siege  of  Washington. 

The  General  Staff  was  organizing  the  first  strokes  of 
the  counter-offensive  that  stopped  the  last  German  drive 
in  the  middle  of  July.  But  General  March  found  time 
enough  to  be  interviewed  and  finally  surrender — to  Mr. 
Forbes.  General  Churchill,  then  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Churchill,  head  of  the  Military  Intelligence  Division, 
signed,  sealed,  and  delivered  forty-four  actual,  authentic, 
and  long  awaited  passports. 

109 


110  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

The  fact  that  there  were  no  steamship  reservations 
available  was  a  small  obstacle  before  the  accumulated 
momentum  of  three  months'  impatience.  To  save  Mr. 
Forbes  from  the  imminent  danger  of  being  stampeded  by 
his  own  troupers,  the  Women's  Department  of  the  ''Y" 
postponed  enough  canteeners,  and  the  Men's  Department 
vacated  the  places  of  sufficient  secretaries  to  make  a  little 
gap  in  the  passage  lists  on  various  ships  just  large  enough 
for  the  first  of  the  Leaguers  to  creep  in.  Thus  it  was  that 
on  July  31,  1918,  the  first  contingent  of  American  players, 
five  in  number,  to  be  sent  abroad  by  the  Over  There  Theatre 
League,  set  sail,  closely  followed  by  twenty-three  others. 
The  departure  of  the  first  unit  was  an  event — and  from 
then  on  the  invasion  of  France  by  the  professionals  was 
a  constant,  forward  movement. 

''No  one  will  forget  the  unique  experiences  of  the  early 
period,"  says  Mr.  Forbes.  "One  young  lady  of  the  first 
contingent,  who  shall  be  nameless,  burst  into  the  office 
of  the  League  at  eleven  o'clock,  three  hours  before  she  was 
to  sail.  She  protested  in  tears  and  complete  despair  that 
she  could  not  go  after  all.  The  office  by  this  time  was 
beyond  any  reasonable  accountability  for  its  actions;  so 
it  simply  waited  dumbly  for  her  to  state  the  trouble. 

"  'Haven't  you  been  telling  me  all  along,'  she  said,  'you 
must  have  ten  things  to  go  to  France?  Well,  I  have  only 
nine.  Look  for  yourself,'  and  she  dumped  the  contents 
of  her  handbag  on  the  desk;  while  she  related  how  she  had 
unpacked  her  trunk  and  hand  luggage  twice  and  had 
worried  all  through  a  sleepless  night,  she  checked  off  the 
following  list: 

Passports  with  French  and  British  vises, 

War  zone  pass, 

Y  M  C  A  certificate  of  identification, 

Certificates  of  inoculation  and  vaccination, 

Orders  for  steamship  tickets, 

Twelve  extra  passport  photographs, 


KEEPING  STEP  WITH  THE  DOUGHBOYS  111 

French  and  English  money, 

Baggage  labels, 

Contract  with  the  League  and  with  the  Y  M  C  A, 

League  salary  card. 

'The  missing  item  was  No.  8,  baggage  labels,  and  they 
were  on  the  excited  young  lady's  trunk!" 


Fortune,  that  most  fickle  and  exasperating  of  stage 
managers,  had  piled  one  anticlimax  on  another  until  she 
bade  fair  to  make  the  contribution  of  the  American  actors' 
great  drama  in  France  one  long,  heartbreaking  rehearsal 
in  America.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  when 
she  finally  got  them  cast  and  on  the  way  to  the  scene  of 
action,  she  then  proceeded  to  evolve  a  series  of  situations 
that  satisfied  the  most  exacting  temperaments  among 
the  actors  and  their  soldier  audiences.  Picture,  for  instance, 
the  soldiers  who  were  waiting  for  "real  home  stuff"  greet- 
ing the  first  company  that  arrived  under  the  banner  of  the 
Over  There  Theatre  League.  Will  M.  Cressy  and  Blanche 
Dayne  were  the  leaders  of  this  company. 

There  are  very  few  Americans  who  have  not  seen  or 
heard  of  that  most  familiar  of  all  American  stage  classics, 
"The  Old  Homestead."  Who  does  not  remember  the 
corn  huskings  and  spelling  bees  and  countrified  sagacity 
of  that  rock-ribbed  old  American  drama?  Who,  especially, 
could  forget  Cy  Prime,  the  greatest  of  all  story  tellers  of 
the  cracker  barrel  brigade,  every  one  of  whose  stories  could 
be  proved  "if  only  Bill  Jones  were  alive!" 

Well,  Cy  Prime  was  Will  M.  Cressy,  and  Will  M.  Cressy 
was  Cy  Prime,  and  so  much  has  Mr.  Cressy  mingled  him- 
self with  his  first  and  greatest  characterization  that  he 
still  lives  on  a  little  New  Hampshire  farm.  He  has  lived 
on  the  same  farm,  in  the  same  town,  with  the  same  wife, 
for  thirty  years.  He  met  Blanche  Dayne  in  "The  Old 
Homestead"  and  they  have  lived  in  it  ever  since.     Mrs. 


112  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

Cressy  is  also  the  heir  of  another  great  American  stage 
tradition.  She  was — yes,  you  have  guessed  it — little  Eva 
in  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and  for  six  years  played  the 
unforgettable  part  of  Rickety  Ann  in  'The  Old  Home- 
stead." For  twenty  years  they  have  played  in  vaudeville 
and  have  carried  their  country  types,  bom  out  of  their 
own  shrewd  observation  and  their  own  native  hills,  to 
every  city  in  America. 

Certainly,  then,  it  was  a  generous  fate  which  cast  these 
two  genuine  Americans  for  the  Over  There  Theatre  League's 
pioneer  party,  which  sailed  for  France  on  the  S.  S.  Megantic 
on  July  31st.  The  supporting  cast  of  that  little  company 
included  three  exceptionally  able  theatrical  folks:  George 
Austin  Moore,  a  vaudevillian  and  Winter  Garden  star, 
who  had  traveled  throughout  the  Orient  with  Donald 
Frawley's  famous  "China  Coast  Players";  Howard  T. 
Collins,  musical  director  in  Victor  Herbert's,  "The  Only 
Girl,"  "Nobody  Home,"  "Very  Good  Eddie,"  and  other 
successes;  and  last  but  not  least,  Helene  Davis,  a  little 
vaudeville  singer  who  was  another  of  the  bright  stars  to 
graduate  from  the  first  production  of  "Everywoman." 
Later  the  party  received  a  breezy  reenforcement  in  the 
person  of  Stella  Hoban,  who  had  sung  her  way  to  success 
on  Broadway  in  the  "Oh  Boy"  and  "Love  o'  Mike"  pro- 
ductions. 

On  the  Megantic  going  over,  there  were  3,200  boys  of 
the  Wildcat  Division,  National  Army  boys  from  the  South- 
ern Atlantic  States,  who  later  made  that  division  one  of 
the  most  picturesque  units  in  the  American  Army.  Dur- 
ing the  nine  days'  passage  the  Cressy  Company  made 
life  exciting  even  for  the  Wildcats,  and  turned  up  with 
twelve  good  generous  shows.  The  company,  on  arriving 
in  England,  had  the  honor  of  giving  the  first  regular  Over 
There  Theatre  League  show  at  the  big  Eagle  Hut  in  London. 

These  pioneer  leaguers  arrived  in  France  on  August  20, 
1918.    Five  days  later  they  were  headed  out  along  the  old 


KEEPING  STEP  WITH  THE  DOUGHBOYS  113 

Neufchateaii-Toul  circuit.  On  the  Keith  circuit  in  far- 
away America  the  Cressys  used  to  skimp  along  in  the  old 
days  with  a  carload  of  scenery  to  put  on  one  sketch;  in 
France  they  had  repertory  of  a  dozen  plays  and  they  got 
along  on  a  suitcase  apiece.  The  most  unwieldy  property 
was  the  inevitable  organ,  the  exact  counterpart  for  a  gen- 
eration back  of  the  familiar  sitting-room  ornament  in  "The 
Old  Homestead."  Occasionally  there  was  a  piano;  and 
Mr.  Collins,  who  had  to  live  up  to  his  description  in  the 
program  as  "at  the  piano,"  kept  it  as  clean  of  rust  and 
mud  as  possible  under  the  circumstances.  The  Cressy 
Players  quite  deserved  the  name  of  "that  dead  game  bunch." 
How  they  made  good  so  emphatically,  Mr.  Cressy's  own 
words  may  help  to  explain.  This  is  how  he  describes  the 
exciting  days  of  their  first  trip  to  the  front: 

"This  is  a  great  route  we  are  playing.  I  started  in  my 
career  of  crime,  via  the  footlight  ladder,  about  as  near  the 
bottom  as  anyone  could.  My  weekly  remuneration,  if 
I  could  get  it,  which  I  couldn't  always,  was  six  per  week. 
Now,  twenty-five  years  later,  I  am  getting  twelve — and 
paying  expenses  out  of  it.  And,  in  addition,  living  in  such 
dirt  and  general  filthiness  as  I  did  not  know  existed.  I 
am  writing  this  by  the  light  of  a  candle  in  a  dirty  room 
in  an  awful  French  inn,  where  the  furniture  consists  of  two 
lame  chairs,  two  beds,  and  a  wounded  table.  We  don't 
talk  the  language,  and  don't  have  to,  but  take  what  they 
bring  us  to  eat,  which  is  black  bread,  string  beans,  car- 
rots, and  some  kind  of  meat,  the  original  shape  and  name 
of  which  we  do  not  ask. 

"But  at  that,  there  is  not  money  enough  in  all  America 
to  make  one  of  us  quit  our  job.  Oh,  if  you  could  see  what 
we  can  do  for  these  boys!  We  are  now  playing  to  men 
who  have  been  up  in  the  front  line  trenches  in  the  midst 
of  such  hell  as  you  cannot  imagine — himgry,  dying,  seeing 
their  best  friends  die  at  their  sides — for  weeks  and  are 
now  back  before  going  at  it  again.  When  I  start  in  to  talk — 
I  open  the  show  with  a  'single' — their  faces  are  drawn  and 
tense.  But  gradually  they  begin  to  relax,  the  lines  go, 
the  smiles  begin   to   come,  and  then,  when   I   think   the 


114  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

time  has  come,  I  go  after  a  real,  man-sized  laugh.  I  may 
not  get  it  the  first  time,  but  by  the  time  I  hand  them  over 
to  Helene  Davis  they  are  feeling  better,  and  from  then 
on  the  laughter  and  applause  and  cheers  are  such  pay 
as  no  living  player  ever  received  in  America.  And  then, 
at  the  end,  to  see  the  changed  men  that  go  out  of  the 
Y  M  C  A  huts — well,  God  has  been  good  to  us  to  let  us 
have  this  opportunity.'' 

Mr.  Cressy  was  a  great  lover  of  the  doughboy.  He 
knew  the  man  who  wrote  home  to  America,  ''I  am  touring 
France  in  an  hommes-chevaux  four-wheeled  car";  and  the 
legless  doughboy  who  received  a  pair  of  socks  as  a  Christ- 
mas present,  but  proved  he  had  not  had  his  sense  of  humor 
amputated  by  getting  up  a  little  presentation  ceremony 
and  presenting  them  to  a  man  who  had  lost  both  his  hands 
in  the  same  hospital.  With  all  these  lovable,  inimitable, 
fun-loving,  and  lion-hearted  boys.  Will  Cressy  made  good. 
You  can  see  him  as  he  stands  with  his  arms  around  a  group 
of  "your  sons  and  mine,"  leading  the  vociferous  hymn 
which  was  among  all  other  songs  the  darling  of  the  dough- 
boys' hearts: 

'^We  are,  we  are  the  Doughboys, 

With  the  dirt  behind  our  ears; 
We  are,  we  are  the  Doughboys, 

Our  pay  is  in  arrears; 
The  Caval-ree,  Artil-ler-ree, 

And  lousy  Engineers, 
Oh-h  they  couldn't  lick  the  Doughboys 

In  a  hundred  thousand  years!" 

The  Cressy  show  was  a  simple  affair  which,  after  the 
company  had  got  into  the  swing  of  a  circuit,  practically 
ran  itself.  Will  Cressy  generally  opened  the  program  by 
stepping  to  the  front  of  the  stage  and  giving  his  famous 
monologue.  One  of  the  best  features  of  this  monologue 
was  his  own  little  poem,  'The  Boy  Next  Door,"  for  ''that 
is  what  these  kids  over  here  are  to  me,"  he  says  in  one 


KEEPING  STEP  WITH  THE  DOUGHBOYS  115 

of  his  letters,  ^'just  the  boys  next  door,  and  that  little 
poem  never  failed  to  make  us  friends  at  the  start."  Then 
he  would  indulge  in  that  famous  theatrical  sport  known  as 
''kidding  the  set,"  that  is,  he  would  introduce  the  piano 
and  tell  how  the  only  way  that  last  night^s  show  was  given 
was  by  means  of  four  husky  doughboys  holding  a  tarpaulin 
over  the  said  piano  in  the  midst  of  a  terrific  downpour; 
he  presented  the  various  wounded  chairs  and  incapacitated 
tables  serving  as  furnishings  of  the  New  England  country 
home;  the  scene  of  the  night's  drama  would  likewise  be 
''kidded"  into  proper  perspective. 

"These  two  soap  boxes,"  he  would  say,  "are  the  dear 
old  family  sofy,  and  here  is  the  supper  table — imagine 
it  has  four  legs  instead  of  three — with  the  old  red  checked 
table  cloth,  and  among  other  things  the  good  old-fashioned 
New  England  cream  pitcher  with  real  cream  for  real  Yankee 
coffee."  This  was  the  signal  for  a  deafening  outburst,  for 
most  American  boys  who  went  abroad  had  by  that  time 
forgotten  that  real  milk  had  ever  existed.  In  the  Riviera 
Leave  Area  "kidding  the  set"  became  a  totally  different 
kind  of  pastime,  but  none  the  less  a  laugh-getter;  for  the 
New  England  homestead  had  to  be  played  at  Nice,  Men- 
tone,  Cannes,  and  similar  "swell"  places,  in  a  room  dec- 
orated with  Louis  XIV  furniture  and  gilded  French  mirrors. 

Mr.  Moore  was  a  capital  singer  and  an  invariable  success, 
and  beside  his  own  special  part  in  the  performance,  he  was 
usually  cast  for  a  strong  part  in  the  playlet  which  followed. 
Almost  all  the  plays  were  of  Mr.  Cressy's  own  writing. 
Then-  alluring  titles  included  "Bill  Biffin's  Baby,"  "The  New 
Depot,"  "Town  Hall  Tonight,"  and  "Wyoming  Whoop." 

The  Cressy  Company  was  one  of  the  first  Over  There 
Theatre  League  troupes  to  cover  the  Riviera  district  after 
the  Armistice.  For  three  months  more  they  continued 
their  unabated  war  speed  of  four  or  five  shows  a  day. ' 
From  dawn  until  dark  they  could  be  found  in  the  hut, 
and  when  the  time  came  for  them  to  start  for  home  late 


116  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

in  February,  1919,  they  left  a  splendid  record  of  ungrudged 
and  generous  service  behind  them. 

Will  Cressy  had  that  happy  faculty  which  a  great  many 
more  actors  possess  than  the  world  gives  them  credit  for 
— the  abihty  to  get  on  with  the  people  with  whom  he  was 
working.  This  is  what  he  said  of  his  relations  with  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association: 

"Of  course,  soul  saving  was  entirely  out  of  my  line. 
My  religion  had  always  been  a  good  deal  like  the  one 
white  shirt  that  was  issued  to  me  along  with  my  two  O.  D. 
shirts.  I  had  it  with  me  all  the  time  but  I  didn't  use  it 
much.  But  I  do  not  believe  there  was  anybody,  man 
or  woman,  who  saw  more  of  the  American  soldier  boys 
or  the  workings  of  the  American  'Y'  in  France  than  Mrs. 
Cressy  and  I.  For  seven  and  a  half  months  we  banged 
and  bumped  around  the  eastern  front,  playing  at  from 
three  to  seven  different  camps  a  day.  We  played  at  over 
four  hundred  different  camps.  We  played  to  something 
over  eight  hundred  thousand  boys.  And  all  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Y  M  C  A.  And  if  we  do  not  know  the 
organization,  I  don't  know  who  does.  To  put  the  facts 
in  one  small  bundle,  I  want  to  say  that  anybody  who  finds 
fault  with  the  Y  M  C  A  as  an  organization  is  mighty  mean 
or  mightily  mistaken." 

None  of  these  actor  folk,  least  of  all  modest  old  Bill 
Cressy,  want  to  be  called  heroes.  In  Mr.  Cressy's  case 
a  wreath  of  honor  should  be  placed  upon  his  reluctant 
brow.  Like  many  of  his  comrades,  he  went  into  the  gas 
zone  whenever  his  job  called  him  there.  He  was  gassed, 
like  many  others,  but  how  badly  he  did  not  realize  until 
almost  a  year  later  when  the  ax  he  was  wielding  on  his 
New  Hampshire  farm  slipped  and  made  a  deep  gash  in 
his  leg.  The  gas  poisoning  in  his  system  then  operated 
on  this  surface  cut  and  brought  about  an  infection  which 
it  may  take  an  indefinite  period  to  heal.  It  is  as  honorable 
a  wound  as  any  soldier  endured  in  the  cause  which  he 
went  overseas  to  serve. 


KEEPING  STEP  WITH  THE  DOUGHBOYS  117 

But  for  the  fact  that  this  narrative  has  of  necessity 
been  constructed  in  a  series  of  parallel  lines,  along  which 
the  players  in  this  great  drama  seem  to  lead  a  much  more 
consecutive  kind  of  life,  independent  of  one  another,  than 
was  really  the  fact,  the  adorable  and  whimsical  career  of 
Margaret  Mayo  would  have  flashed  across  these  pages 
long  ago.  At  one  time  or  another  this  energetic  little 
playwright  and  actress  met  everybody  on  the  circuit  and 
everybody  met  her.  She  took  over  "The  Mayo  Shock 
Unit."  It  goes  without  saying  that  the  author  of  "Polly 
of  the  Ch-cus,"  "Baby  Mine,"  and  "Twin  Beds"  had  a 
sound  idea  as  to  what  would  amuse  the  American  soldier. 
Certainly  her  company  was  a  splendid  witness  of  her  in- 
stinct for  the  right  people  in  the  right  place.  It  was  a 
great  company  that  could  include,  beside  Miss  Mayo, 
two  such  feminine  stars  as  Elizabeth  Brice  and  Lois 
Meredith. 

Elizabeth  Brice  is  the  girl  who,  just  as  in  a  novel,  stepped 
out  of  obscurity  one  night  into  the  satin  slippers  of  the 
star — one  night  when  Grace  Van  Studdiford  was  taken 
suddenly  ill — saved  the  performance,  and  became  an  un- 
mistakable star  herself.  She  twinkled  her  way  to  the 
reputation  of  one  of  the  most  roguish  and  fetching  musi- 
cal comedy  stars  of  the  day. 

Lois  Meredith  came  to  Broadway  from  the  Alcazar 
Stock  Company  of  San  Francisco,  but  didn't  stay  there 
long,  for  one  of  the  road  companies  of  "Peg  o'  My  Heart" 
claimed  her  talents  in  the  name  part;  then  she  went  on  to 
more  fame  in  the  movies.  The  men  included  Will  Mor- 
rissey,  the  famous  vaudevillian  who  has  recently  been 
Miss  Brice's  partner  in  "Buzzin'  Around";  Thomas  J. 
Gray,  the  vaudeville  comedian  who  sang  himself  to  fame 
with  the  song,  "Any  Little  Girl  That's  a  Nice  Little  Girl 
Is  the  Right  Little  Girl  for  Me,"  and  who  has  written  over 
200  playlets  and  short  stage  pieces;  and  W.  Raymond 
Walker,  pianist,  music  publisher,  and  accompanist. 


118  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

When  'The  Mayo  Shock.  Unit"  went  ''trouping  with 
the  troops,"  it  strove  to  play  straight  to  the  doughboys. 
The  troupe  played  for  more  than  ten  weeks  in  the  thick 
of  the  steady  but  terribly  costly  advance  of  the  American 
Army.  Miss  Mayo  herself  gives  a  typical  setting  of  these 
performances  in  a  passage  from  her  breezy  and  very  per- 
sonal Httle  book,  'Trouping  for  the  Troops."  They  had 
arrived  in  the  midst  of  a  forest.  Although  there  were 
thousands  of  American  troops  within  a  few  miles,  the 
encampments  were  so  densely  camouflaged  in  a  thick  woods 
that  from  her  own  little  lookout  absolutely  nothing  could 
be  seen  of  human  occupancy. 

"Each  day  our  local  secretary  would  take  us  in  a  car 
to  some  thicket  where  within  twenty  minutes  we  would 
have  such  an  audience  as  none  of  us  shall  probably  ever 
see  again.  Sometimes  we  would  mount  a  truck  for  our 
performances,  for  wagons,  artillery,  and  horses  were  also 
concealed  in  these  woods,  but  more  often  we  would  play 
on  the  ground.  The  officer  in  command  would  give  the 
order  for  the  first  few  hundred  boys  to  lie  flat,  those  be- 
hind them  were  permitted  to  kneel,  those  at  the  back 
could  stand,  and  those  who  were  left  over'  would  'shinney' 
up  the  trees  like  squirrels  and  drape  themselves  across  the 
branches  and  hang  suspended  in  strained  attitudes  during 
the  entire  show.  If  we  happened  to  be  playing  in  a  young 
forest  we  were  sometimes  almost  dizzy  with  the  swaying 
of  the  slender  saplings  waving  back  and  forth  under  the 
weight  of  hiunan  bodies. 

"Sometimes  our  performance  would  be  canceled  or  cut 
short  by  the  men  to  whom  we  were  playing  being  sud- 
denly ordered  forward.  On  one  occasion  when  our  con- 
ductor had  happened  to  leave  us  to  the  Colonel  of  the 
regiment,  who  had  volunteered  to  send  us  home  in  his 
car,  the  whole  division  was  ordered  forward  in  the  midst 
of  our  performance.  The  Colonel  had  no  alternative  but 
to  move  with  them.  We  were  obliged  to  walk  to  the  near- 
est railway  station  and  beat  our  way  'home'  huddled  to- 
gether on  a  meat  chest  in  a  box  car.  We  arrived  about 
midnight,  hungry  and  chilled.  As  we  picked  our  way 
through  the  mud  and  the  darkness  up  the  hill  toward  the 


KEEPING  STEP  WITH  THE  DOUGHBOYS  119 

barracks,  our  musician  drew  his  foot  out  of  a  hole  and 
paused  long  enough  to  remark  that  he  was  sick  of  life. 
He  didn^t  care  whether  his  gas  mask  fitted  or  not.  .  .  . 
But  the  next  morning  we  were  all  going  back  down  the 
hill  in  the  sunlight  with  the  despised  gas  masks  and  hel- 
mets— off  toward  Verdun.'' 

The  Mayo  party  gave  from  start  to  finish  a  light-hearted 
vaudeville  show,  a  regular  "little  night  at  home"  by  itself. 
Will  Morrissey  told  stories  and  played  the  fiddle,  Tommy 
Gray  sang,  Lois  Meredith  danced  and  sang  her  song-hits, 
and  Miss  Mayo  herself  resumed  her  career  as  a  comedienne 
to  put  on  a  bright  little  informal  act  all  by  herself.  Also 
there  was  usually  a  skit  in  which  everybody  took  part. 
Miss  Mayo  never  claimed  to  have  the  latest  jokes.  "The 
old  jokes  well  told,"  says  Miss  Mayo,  "are  better  than  all 
the  new  jokes  on  earth." 

Maybe  the  best  chance  the  company  had  to  see  how 
the  boys  felt  about  it  was  the  one  time  they  played  in  a 
real  theatre  up  near  Argonne.  It  was  crowded  to  the  roof 
with  buck  privates  and  poilus,  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
The  poilus  were  quiet  during  the  time-worn  gags  from 
back  home.  Will  Morrissey,  with  his  vaudeville  jokes, 
got  only  a  polite  murmur  from  them.  Tommy  Gray, 
with  his  alfalfa  whiskers,  amused  them  very  mildly.  Pretty 
Lois  Meredith  won  real  but  sedate  appreciation;  and  even 
Ehzabeth  Brice,  singing  "Buzz  Around,  Buzz  Around," 
with  all  the  pep  in  the  world,  was  welcomed  quietly,  so 
far  as  the  French  half  of  the  audience  went. 

But  the  doughboys!  The  doughboys  made  up  for  all 
that.  Not  since  the  time  when  the  theatre  was  divided 
into  three  parts  had  that  gallery  so  resounded!  Whistling! 
Clapping!  Stamping  of  feet!  But  the  next  morning  while 
the  troupe  was  at  breakfast,  a  delegation  of  French  visi- 
tors, including  the  Mayor  of  the  town,  called  upon  them. 
They  wanted,  they  explained,  through  an  interpreter,  to 
compliment  the  company  upon  the  most  excellent  per- 


120  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

formance  of  the  night  before,  and  to  present  their  pro- 
found apologies  for  the  rudeness  to  which  the  players  had 
been  subjected.  They  were  grieved  to  the  heart  that  there 
should  have  been  whistling  during  such  a  charming  pro- 
duction. 

And  so  the  Mayo  Shock  Unit  weaves  throughout  the 
Army  its  web  of  cheer  and  encouragement.  Its  members 
sing  one  day  in  a  base  hospital.  On  another  they  make 
a  dash  to  Paris  at  a  gala  show  at  the  Tuileries  Gardens; 
next  day  they  play  at  a  barge  canal,  at  a  little  camp  be- 
hind the  lines  where  a  lonely  service  unit  has  just  finished 
putting  up  a  little  platform  for  the  first  entertainment 
they  have  ever  had;  next  day  they  are  in  the  midst  of  the 
front,  playing  in  a  barn  somewhere  south  of  Montfaugon; 
another  day  they  are  in  a  nice  little  theatre  just  as  far 
front,  but,  to  their  amazed  eyes,  having  all  the  appurte- 
nances, footlights,  dressing  rooms,  and  real  scenery  of  an 
up-to-date  playhouse;  now  they  are  playing  in  the  drench- 
ing rain  under  a  camouflaged  stone  rest-billet  for  the  for- 
ward artillery;  now  they  play  for  the  gas  units,  and  after- 
ward eat  a  friendly  meal  in  the  gas  chamber  itself,  an  ugly 
little  structure  which  looks  like  an  ironlined  hogshead, 
but  which  their  presence  makes  as  bright  and  cheery  as 
the  snappiest  cabaret  in  Paris. 

In  late  October  or  November,  1918,  they  make  a  tri- 
umphal little  tour  through  the  rest  areas  and  leave  cities 
of  eastern  France.  While  they  are  there,  Margaret  Mayo's 
presentiment  that  the  War  would  be  over  before  they  got 
back  to  the  front  comes  true.  Late  in  November  the 
little  company  breaks  up,  a  shock  unit  no  more,  but  a 
group  of  individuals  who  have  given  abundantly. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PUSHING  UP  TO  THE  FRONT 

"7^0  he  generous,  guiltless^  and  of  free  disposition  is  to 

take  these  things  for  bird  holts  that  you  deem  cannon  hul- 

lets." 

Twelfth  Night. 

It  is  said  that  the  only  complaint  Marshal  Foch  and  the 
Allied  staff  ever  made  of  the  American  Army  was,  "You 
can't  hold  them  back."  That,  too,  was  the  only  real  trouble 
with  the  actors — they  wanted  to  play  right  up  to  the 
German  trenches. 

There  never  was  a  group  more  thoroughly  expressive 
of  the  American  "never-say-die'^  spirit.  The  streets  of 
Paris  soon  began  to  look  as  familiar  as  "dear  old  Broad- 
way." Here  on  this  August  afternoon  in  1918  we  find 
our  old  friends — Irene  Franklin  of  "Redhead"  fame,  and 
her  husband,  Burt  Green.  Here,  too,  are  Corinne  Francis 
and  Tony  Hunting,  likewise  twin  luminaries  in  married 
stardom.  They  are  just  starting  on  a  conquest  which  is 
to  result  in  an  unconditional  surrender  of  the  armies. 
They  sailed  on  August  5,  1918. 

Stage  folk,  when  confronted  by  the  harlequinade  of 
getting  about  in  this  bizarre  dayUght  world,  are  the  great- 
est satirists  in  creation;  and  Irene's  account  of  what  was 
perhaps  the  most  exasperating  voyage  of  any  made  by 
members  of  the  Over  There  Theatre  League  is  a  little 
classic  voyage  of  satirical  humor.  Miss  Francis  and  Mr. 
Hunting,  by  the  way,  had  started  two  days  before  and 
were  spared  all  this. 

"We  left  on  the  S.  S.  Quilpue/'  says  Miss  Franklin. 
"It  was  her  maiden  trip  across  the  Atlantic.    Well,  finally. 


122  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

to  skip  a  lot,  we  arrived  at  a  port  somewhere  near  the 
North  Pole  (it  was  only  Scotland,  but  that's  near  enough). 
The  harbor  looked  like  a  Russian  toy  shop  gone  mad. 
All  the  ships  were  covered  with  bright  screaming  camou- 
flage.   Not  a  single  color  was  omitted. 

"  'Now,  look  here,'  I  said  to  Burt  Green,  'if  we  are  going 
to  stay  in  this  place  two  days,  I'm  going  to  give  some 
shows,'  so  we  went  ashore  and  found  a  theatre  which  we 
rented.  Then  I  asked  the  captain  if  he  would  wigw^ag 
to  the  captains  of  all  the  boats  in  the  harbor  and  ask  if 
their  men  could  come  to  the  show.  I  guess  that  was  the 
first  time  that  a  program  with  all  the  acts  and  names  of 
the  performance  was  announced  in  real  shipshape  sailor 
fashion.  All  the  captains  except  one  agreed.  That  one 
commanded  a  special  mother  ship  to  submarines  or  some- 
thing of  the  kind  and  everybody  was  strictly  kept  off  her 
mysterious  decks.  Everybody?  Well,  now  listen.  That 
afternoon  I  hired  a  tug,  and  Mr.  Green  and  several  of  the 
other  entertainers  went  out  to  that  ship.  The  stern  cap- 
tain came  to  the  side  and  said  nobody  could  come  aboard. 
He  looked  so  sorry,  that  I  thought  I  might  take  a  chance, 
so,  standing  on  the  rope  ladder,  we  started  one  of  the 
strangest  shows  that  you  ever  saw  on  sea  or  land.  I  don't 
know  what  watch  it  was,  but  before  we  finished  everybody 
was  watching  us.  Finally,  just  as  I  had  thought,  the 
stern  captain  relented  and  I  led  a  troop  of  boys  to  the 
back  deck,  where  I  shut  my  eyes  and  said  I  wouldn't  tell 
what  I'd  seen,  and  then  for  about  a  half  an  hour  we  gave 
a  regular  show." 

Irene  Franklin  and  Burt  Green  made  a  remarkable 
team,  and  the  fact  that  Miss  Franklin's  physician  had 
warned  her  of  a  nervous  breakdown  a  few  weeks  before 
they  started  for  France  only  made  her  work  the  harder. 
After  a  short  period  out  on  the  front  line  circuit,  they 
met  Tony  Hunting  and  Corinne  Francis.  The  four  of 
them,  ''The  Broadway  Bunch,"  put  on  a  combined  show 
during  the  big  weeks  of  the  St.  Mihiel  offensive.  They 
were  playing  just  south  of  Verdun  when  that  offensive 
got  under  way,  having  just  "detrained"  in  the  midst  of 
the  Woevre  Wood,  all  loaded  down  shoulder  high  with 


PUSHING  UP  TO  THE  FRONT  123 

bedclothes,  costumes,  gas  masks,  helmets,  make-up,  and 
other  equipment.  "We  looked  like  a  couple  of  caravans," 
says  Miss  Francis,  "as  we  rolled  off  the  train,  but  our 
entrance  got  a  big  Yankee  laugh  and  that  made  our  aching 
limbs  a  lot  less  tired." 

A  vivid  idea  of  the  kind  of  show  these  four  clever  enter- 
tainers were  giving  may  be  had  from  the  account  of  an 
enthusiastic  soldier  critic  in  the  Plane  News,  a  weekly 
sheet  issued  at  a  big  aviation  center. 

"There  are  shows  and  there  are  shows,  and  there  are 
just  productions.  The  true  classification  of  the  'Redhead' 
show,  however,  is  that  it  is  one  of  the  biggest  and  greatest 
productions  on  the  stage  in  the  A.  E.  F.  And  the  most 
remarkable  thing  about  it  is  that  only  four  people  make 
up  the  entire  cast.  Irene  ranks  first;  she  is  ably  accom- 
panied at  the  piano  by  her  husband,  Burt  Green,  who 
also  is  the  single-handed  orchestra  for  the  other  big  part. 
Miss  Corinne  Francis  and  Tony  Hunting  are  real  come- 
dians. The  curtain  rises  if  their  stand  happens  to  be  in 
a  place  where  such  a  thing  is  available.  Burt  Green  is  at 
the  piano,  and  after  they  hear  his  first  selection  the  audi- 
ence usually  wishes  that  the  evening  program  might  be 
entirely  musical.  But  Corinne  and  Tony  soon  cause  this 
feeling  to  disappear  and  create  an  uproar.  Their  comedy 
is  about  as  genuinely  American  'as  they  can  make  'em.' 

"Miss  Francis  displays  fine  talent  with  instrimiental 
and  vocal  selections  and  Tony  clogs  himself  up  into  further 
fame.  When  this  couple  has  finally  satisfied  the  bench 
warmers  and  escaped  from  the  continuous  cry  of  'Encore' 
Miss  Irene  reappears  as  the  little  'Redhead'  in  bloomers. 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  effect  of  her  song  and  ex- 
pression. Time  flits  by  all  too  quickly,  and  almost  ere 
one  has  had  a  chance  to  appreciate  fully  her  splendid 
effort,  the  curtain  has  separated  the  audience  from  the 
finest  entertainment  that  ever  struck  France." 

This  is  straight-from-the-shoulder  doughboy  criticism. 
And  the  fact  that  it  deals  with  superlatives  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  not  be  applied  to  many  another  show,  for 


124  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

in  the  generous  atmosphere  of  France  every  show  that 
really  made  a  hit  was  "the  best  that  ever  came  over." 

Like  their  teammates,  Miss  Francis  and  Mr.  Hunting 
gave  an  informal  and  extremely  adaptable  vaudeville  show, 
in  which  either  partner  could  do  almost  anything  people 
generally  do  in  vaudeville,  from  playing  musical  instru- 
ments to  dancing  and  singing.  Hunting  and  Francis  so 
fell  in  love  with  the  work  that  they  decided  to  stay  over 
as  long  as  there  was  any  work  to  do;  and  as  they  gradually 
became  veterans  they  accumulated  in  an  unusual  degree 
the  store  of  experience  which  was  Hfe's  greatest  compensa- 
tion overseas. 

Perhaps  their  most  unique  show,  best  illustrating  their 
exuberant  generosity  and  good  will,  was  given  one  day 
when  their  car  overtook  an  ammunition  train  of  fifty- 
eight  motor  trucks.  These  had  pulled  up  by  the  side  of 
the  road  for  a  few  minutes'  rest  and  overhauling.  About 
four  hundred  men  were  in  the  convoy,  and  a  lot  of  them 
were  in  bathing  as  the  entertainers  came  by.  The  boys 
spotted  Hunting  and  Francis  at  once  as  entertainers. 
There  were  cheerful  greetings,  then  somebody  shouted, 
"Can't  you  give  us  a  show?"  And  Corinne  Francis  replied, 
"Sure,  let's  give  it  right  here."  So  the  grimy  motor  drivers 
who  hadn't  been  in  bathing,  and  the  clean  ones  who  had, 
all  gathered  around  in  a  large  circle.  Hunting  and  Francis, 
vaudeville  headliners  and  distinguished  comedy  artists, 
got  down  in  the  chalky-dusty  road  and  gave  their  show 
for  all  it  was  worth.  Ear-splitting  yells  greeted  their  sallies 
and  songs.  With  the  shouts  of  the  doughboys  echoing  their 
choruses  to  the  horizon,  they  got  back  into  their  machine 
with  tired  lungs  and  voices  but  full  hearts  and  drove  away. 

At  another  time  in  the  Argonne  they  gave  a  show  on  a 
little  homemade  stage  down  in  the  valley,  with  3,100 
doughboys  looking  down  from  the  hillside.  This  time,  as 
on  many  other  occasions,  they  had  no  piano.  Miss  Francis 
strummed  the  guitar.    After  the  show  was  over  she  went 


Doughboy  Masqueraders  at  Coblenz 


Rehearsing  the  Heavy  Villain 


At  Versailles 


— f- 

^ 

^ — '*"~^-*-^                ^  ^'^ 

mm.  m 

1 

^giw 

B^B 

^H 

i 

Counted  Out 


PUSHING  UP  TO  THE  FRONT  125 

out  among  the  groups  of  men  and  sat  down  on  the  steps, 
wherever  there  were  any,  and  played  whatever  the  boys 
called  for — proving  a  veritable  angel  of  music  to  the  men 
who  were,  within  a  few  hours,  to  go  back  into  battle. 

A  very  exceptional  performance  was  in  a  French  foyer 
about  five  kilometers  behind  the  line,  where  they  were 
billed  to  give  two  shows.  The  first  show  went  off  all  right, 
but  in  the  midst  of  the  second  there  came  a  blistering  air 
raid.  Bombs  actually  dropped  all  around  the  hut.  Miss 
Francis  was  singing  and  playing  the  guitar  when  the  raid 
started.  She  never  turned  a  hair,  but  continued  to  sing 
and  play,  calmly  passing  from  one  song  to  another.  The 
French  poilus,  who  were  fond  of  American  songs  under 
all  conditions,  caught  the  spirit  of  the  American  girl.  Their 
voices  rang  out  in  the  choruses  of  "Smiles, '^  "You'll  Never 
BeUeve  Me,"  and  the  always  infectious  "Pack  Up  Your 
Troubles,"  until  the  air  raid  was  finished  and  Miss  Francis 
declared  both  shows  over.  A  young  French  captain  who 
was  present  said  it  was  the  finest  example  of  American 
nerve  he  had  seen  in  the  War,  and  declared  that  he  would 
put  in  a  claim  for  a  decoration  for  Miss  Francis  at  once. 
The  organization  soon  afterward  went  back  into  the  battle 
lines,  however,  and  the  great  veil  of  the  War  dropped  over 
their  lives  again  forever. 

"The  Broadway  Bunch"  made  a  specialty  of  "girly" 
dresses.  This  made  them  welcome  even  before  they  spoke 
a  word  or  tuned  their  instruments.  It  must  be  added  that 
it  was  not  only  the  doughboys  who  were  glad  to  see  these 
pretty  dresses.  Nobody  ever  gave  "The  Broadway  Bunch" 
a  more  enthusiastic  hand  than  the  nurses,  those  stout- 
hearted American  girls  who  braved  the  privations  of  the 
front  and  the  deprivation  of  feminine  clothes  for  many 
long  months.  All  they  could  wear  for  variety  was  a  colored 
sweater,  and  they  cheered  heartily  whenever  their  eyes 
were  filled  with  the  delight  of  real  clothes  worn  by  the 
women  entertainers. 


126  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

Hunting  and  Francis  played  at  Verdun  and  St.  Mihiel, 
at  Dun-sur-Meuse,  one  of  the  last  towns  captured  by 
the  Americans,  and  at  the  Verdun  citadel.  Immediately 
after  the  War  they  undertook  the  very  heartening  work 
of  playing  to  the  returning  prisoners.  They  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  this  at  Verdun,  and  many  a  group  of  ragged, 
footsore,  soul-weary  Britishers,  who  had  been  confined  in 
German  prison  camps  for  two,  three,  and  four  years,  got 
their  first  welcome  into  their  own  world  through  this  fun- 
radiating  pair  at  the  shows  in  the  old  Verdun  citadel. 

'The  Broadway  Bunch^'  was  recruited  up  to  strength 
again  by  the  addition  of  Edgar  H.  LeVan,  and,  at  differ- 
ent times,  Tsianina  and  Marguerite  Perry  Bailey.  In 
December,  the  long  triumphal  visit  to  Germany  began, 
which  lasted  for  six  months. 

There  Miss  Francis  created  a  record.  She  and  her 
partner  arrived  there  in  the  middle  of  December,  1918, 
among  the  very  first  of  the  troops  of  occupation.  How 
they  did  it  is  still  more  or  less  of  a  state  secret,  but,  like 
the  great  example  of  the  Americans  in  the  War,  they  got 
there  in  time.  On  December  13th  the  American  Army 
crossed  the  Rhine;  and  on  December  15th  Coriime  Francis 
sang  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner"  in  Coblenz.  This  was 
the  first  time  that  song  had  been  heard  in  Germany  since 
1914.  With  this  send-off.  Hunting  and  Francis  played 
the  entire  Army  of  Occupation  circuit  and  in  time  were 
given  charge  of  the  booking  office  of  the  Coblenz  Area. 
Here  they  came  to  manage  the  numerous  theatres  and 
entertainment  huts  in  the  great  leave  and  administration 
center  around  Coblenz.  They  sang  in  Luxemburg  and 
Lorraine,  along  the  Saar  and  the  Moselle,  and  in  royal 
castles  under  the  ancient  arms  of  Rhenish  robber  barons. 

Corinne  Francis  again  showed  the  spirit  she  had  mani- 
fested in  action  when,  under  the  strain  of  continuous 
entertainments  and  vindictive  weather,  she  found  that 
she  still  had  the  will  to  sing  but  with  a  comparatively 


PUSHING  UP  TO  THE  FRONT  127 

evaporated  voice.  She  might  have  justly  taken  six  weeks 
or  two  months^  leave  to  safeguard  those  vocal  cords  on 
which  depended  not  only  all  her  joy  in  life  but  her  liveli- 
hood. Mr.  Steele  offered  her  a  leave,  but  it  was  returned 
with  thanks.  "I  can't  sing  a  note,"  she  said  to  Mr.  Steele, 
^'but  just  try  me  in  the  soldier  show  development  section 
as  a  coach.  If  I  can't  put  on  a  show,  let  me  help  the  boys 
who  can.  That's  where  the  need  is  and  I  want  to  be  in  it.'* 
Miss  Francis  was  in  it  for  a  month  or  more,  during  which 
she  carefully  nursed  her  voice  back  into  health  again, 
but  gave  all  her  intelligence  and  skill  to  the  continuous 
dress  rehearsals  of  the  soldier  entertainers.  When  she 
came  back  to  Coblenz  and  sang  again,  tuneful,  fresh,  and 
irresistible,  she  got  a  reception  the  like  of  which  was  seen 
on  only  a  few  other  occasions  in  the  Army. 


Any  show  that  contained  Leo  Donnelly,  Will  J.  Kennedy, 
and  James  F.  Kelly  just  had  to  be  called  "The  Shamrock 
Show."  Leo  Donnelly  is  one  of  the  best  comedians.  Will 
Kennedy  is  one  of  the  best  known  funny  men  on  the  pop- 
ular-priced vaudeville  circuit  known  as  the  Columbia 
Wheel.  James  F.  Kelly  and  Emma  Pollock,  who  have 
toured  together  for  many  years  in  a  comedy  singing  and 
dancing  act,  have  never  failed  to  captivate  the  strong 
Irish  and  Irish-admiring  public  wherever  they  went;  Miss 
Pollock  especially  has  a  reputation  of  long  standing  in  this 
field  as  a  soubrette  entertainer  in  the  good  old  Irish  plays 
of  the  Harrigan  and  Hart  management.  Helen  Goff,  the 
fifth  member  of  the  show,  has  played  to  Al  Jolson  and 
supported  Kitty  Gordon. 

'The  Shamrock  Show"  arrived  in  France  on  August 
12th,  and,  controlled  by  home  contracts,  stayed  abroad 
during  the  four  crucial  months  of  the  emergency  period. 
During  that  time,  however,  they  accomplished  great  results. 
The  enthusiasm  of  the  troupe  was  kept  at  fighting  pitch 


128  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

by  its  inspiring  and  hard  working  leader,  Leo  Donnelly, 
who  wrote  home  from  the  thick  of  things:  ^'I  never  was 
so  dirty,  tired,  and  happy  in  my  life.  I  wouldn^t  change 
places  with  any  actor  in  America  for  the  biggest  salary 
ever  paid.  I  am  having  the  time  of  my  life.  It  is  the 
greatest  real  work  that  I  have  ever  done,  and  believe  me, 
I  sure  am  happy."  Donnelly  spread  a  good  deal  of  this 
happiness  about  France. 

Will  Kennedy  had  an  extraordinary  knowledge  of  the 
outside  appearance  and  the  particular  individual  quality 
of  every  large  city  in  the  home  country.  After  a  show, 
the  boys  would  flock  aroimd  Kennedy  just  to  ask  him 
questions  about  what  the  latest  news  was  from  Oshkosh, 
or  Little  Rock,  or  Los  Angeles,  or  Portland,  wherever  they 
happened  to  come  from.  Kennedy  would  come  back  with 
gossip  about  the  folks,  the  elections,  and  the  record  of  the 
local  baseball  team.  As  a  traveling  purveyor  of  home  town 
gossip,  Kennedy  was  a  walking  wonder.  He  could  remem- 
ber the  exact  situation  of  the  best  lunchcart  in  town;  he 
could  describe  the  local  grill  room  which  the  real  people 
always  patronized;  he  could  discuss  the  flavor  of  chile 
con  carne  or  frijoles  or  the  aroma  of  the  immortal  baked 
bean  with  equal  felicity,  and  in  those  days  when  home- 
cooked  food  was  the  ultimate  of  all  earthly  bliss,  his  after- 
the-show  reminiscence  act  was  a  most  enduring  winner. 

Helen  Goff's  songs  were  memorable.  ^ 'Helen  is  a  riot 
with  the  boys,'^  writes  a  member  of  the  League,  ' 'because 
she  knows  how  to  handle  them.  Her  songs  go  with  a  bang. 
Above  all,  she  is  typically  American  and  the  boys  just 
love  her  and  her  work."  And  then  after  this  little  come- 
dienne had  finished  her  jazz  music,  Emma  Pollock  stepped 
forward  and  sang  ''Maggie  Murphy's  Home,"  with  Jimmie 
Kelly  acting  as  a  whimsical  foil  to  this  uproarious  old 
melody. 

"The  Shamrock  Show"  got  up  to  the  front  in  the  days 
of  the  great  advance,  and  started  on  a  tour  which  the 


PUSHING  UP  TO  THE  FRONT  129 

Seventy-Seventh  Division,  the  New  York  National  Army 
Unit,  at  any  rate,  will  never  forget.  They  played  in  the 
Argonne  and  the  Woevre,  and  they  went  out  on  the  great 
circuit  from  Verdun.  In  the  areas  where  German  bombs 
and  long  range  artillery — and  an  occasional  leakage  of  gas 
— penetrated,  'The  Shamrock  Show"  continued  its  work, 
as  vital  to  the  success  of  the  division,  as  one  staff  captain 
put  it,  ''as  a  regiment  of  infantry."  The  armistice  period 
found  them  "mopping  up"  in  the  leave  areas;  and  the 
beginning  of  January,  1919,  found  them  embarking  at  last 
for  the  homeland,  veterans  who  had  fought  a  good  fight 
and  had  added  their  bit  to  the  war  prestige  of  their  pro- 
fession's honor. 


From  the  wealth  of  the  war  experience  of  these  Over 
There  Theatre  Leaguers  it  is  possible,  because  of  space 
limitations,  to  give  the  merest  suggestion  of  what  was 
accomplished  with  the  American  Army  throughout  the 
area  of  the  War.  Take  the  unit,  for  instance,  called  so 
modestly  "A  Little  Cheer  from  Home."  It  set  sail  from 
America,  August  9,  1918,  and  was  composed  of  Inez  Wilson, 
famous  during  the  past  few  years  on  the  Canadian  stage; 
Henry  Souvaine,  a  concert  pianist  who  has  accompanied 
Caruso  and  Galh-Curci;  Eleanor  Whittemore,  a  violinist; 
and  Ethel  Hinton,  monologuist  and  reader. 

Their  program  opened  with  an  ensemble  number,  fol- 
lowed by  snappy  songs  by  Inez  Wilson,  violin  solos  by  Miss 
Whittemore,  and  monologues  and  impersonations  by  Miss 
Hinton.  Mr.  Souvaine  played  the  accompaniments.  The 
party  got  into  St.  Mihiel  ten  days  after  the  Germans  had 
been  driven  out.  Here  they  gave  a  show  in  the  old  Roman 
fort.  Fort  du  Camp  des  Romains,  to  thousands  of  French 
soldiers.  Miss  Wilson  sang  in  French,  and  the  piano  was 
an  abandoned  Boche  instrument.  They  found  meat  in  the 
icebox,  soup  on  the  stove,  and  bags  of  potatoes  on  the 


130  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

floor— real  food,  which  was  the  surest  evidence  that  the 
Hun  had  been  caught  unawares.  During  one  show  a  shell 
dropped  200  yards  away;  they  kept  on  without  a  hitch. 
They  entertained  on  another  occasion  8,000  Polish  Amer- 
ican soldiers.  The  Poles  sang  their  national  anthems  with 
heads  bared,  the  most  impressive  sight  the  troupe  saw 
during  the  War.  On  some  nights  the  whole  sky  was  illumi- 
nated with  fire,  and  the  shelling  became  so  heavy  that  the 
Commanding  Officer  ordered  them  back. 

The  most  protected  place  in  the  Ford,  even  in  the  drench- 
ing rain,  was  always  given  to  the  old  piano.  They  trav- 
eled in  ambulances  and  on  foot,  in  trucks,  narrow  gauge 
railway  cars,  and  flat  cars;  and  they  gave  shows  in  camps 
which  had  not  seen  an  American  girl  in  thirteen  months. 
They  gave  one  historic  performance  on  the  inmiortal 
Dead  Men^s  Hill  at  Verdun.  On  another  occasion  they 
had  a  thrilling  experience  in  an  advanced  American  artillery 
position  a  few  kilometers  from  the  front. 

"The  Americans  were  brigaded  with  the  French,''  Mr. 
Souvaine  writes,  "and  we  had  a  few  hundred  Americans 
sitting  around  the  piano,  the  French  forming  a  fringe  on 
the  outside  and  hanging  all  over  the  roofs  of  the  adjoining 
huts.  All  during  the  show  the  Boche  and  French  artillery 
near  by  gave  me  a  real  symphonic  accompaniment,  which 
sounded  just  Hke  'old  times'  Wagner  recitals.  Three  Boche 
planes  came  over  to  see  the  show  after  we  had  started,  but 
the  boys  were  very  poor  hosts  and  sent  them  home  with 
a  barrage  of  air  shells." 

Frequently,  when  the  crowd  was  too  big  to  get  into  the 
hut,  Mr.  Souvaine  took  the  piano  outside  and  played  to 
the  crowd  that  couldn't  get  in;  he  put  on  this  feature  at 
a  great  Polish  American  camp  where  7,000  men  climbed 
on  trees  and  houses  in  a  vast  crowd  around  him. 

This  unit  was  one  of  the  few  parties  chosen  to  tour  Italy. 
During  the  final  stages  of  the  Italians'  last  great  offensive, 
they  followed  the  Italian  Army  into  Austria.     Here  they 


PUSHING  UP  TO  THE  FRONT  131 

rendered  magnificent  service  to  the  American  regiment 
attached  to  the  Italian  /^my  and  to  the  ambulance  drivers 
and  aviators  whom  America  loaned  so  liberally  to  the 
Italian  front. 

January,  1919,  found  "A  Little  Cheer  from  Home'' 
being  dispensed  in  Germany.  They  were  assigned  for  a 
good  part  of  their  stay  with  the  Thirty-Second  Division, 
the  Ohio  National  Guard  unit — the  Red  Arrows,  as  the 
world  has  come  to  know  them.  Here  they  circulated 
throughout  the  region  around  Rengsdorf.  When  they 
left  in  February,  Major  General  Lassiter,  commanding 
the  Thirty-Second,  sat  down  and  wrote  this  straightfor- 
ward little  tribute,  which  expresses  in  its  way  the  finest 
and  most  characteristic  type  of  appreciation,  such  as  a 
real  entertainment  group  unfailingly  got  from  the  high 
American  command: 

"I  should  like  you  to  know,"  writes  General  Lassiter, 
"how  much  this  group  of  talented  people  has  done  in 
maintaining  the  cheerfulness  and  contentment  of  the 
officers  and  men  of  the  Division.  They  have  put  up  with 
all  sorts  of  hardships  without  murmur;  they  have  enter- 
tained the  men  of  all  the  little  garrisons  we  maintain  through- 
out the  Coblenz  Bridgehead;  and  always  they  have  made 
light  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  and  have  won  the  hearts 
of  our  men.  The  entertainment  which  they  have  given 
has  always  been  of  a  high  class,  never  appealing  to  anything 
but  the  better  instincts  of  the  men,  and  I  think  it  has  been 
very  interesting  to  observe  that  this  has  been  the  type 
of  entertainment  most  enjoyed  and  appreciated  by  the 
soldier  men.  Everyone  in  the  Division  hates  to  see  them 
go.  I  feel  that  they  have  shown  a  spirit  in  carrying  out 
their  part  in  this  war  worthy  of  the  best  type  of  soldier, 
and  I  cannot  too  much  thank  you  and  the  Y  M  C  A  for 
putting  their  services  at  the  disposal  of  the  Thirty-Second 
Division." 


D.  C.  Mclver  was  what  they  called  in  the  British  Army 


132  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

a  "dugout."  It  took  the  War  to  bring  him  out  of  the  quiet 
of  a  new  profession  and  thrust  him  back  behind  the  foot- 
lights. For  many  years  Mclver  had  been  an  illusionist 
and  magician  in  vaudeville,  but  some  five  years  before  the 
War  he  retired  from  the  stage  and  went  into  mining  in 
Arizona.  When  the  War  broke  out,  he  figured  that  he  was 
worth  more  to  the  soldiers  as  a  magician  than  as  a  mine 
operator.  Abandoning  his  mining,  he  assembled  a  little 
company  called  "Magic,  Melody,  and  Music.''  Mclver 
took  over  with  him  his  former  accompanist.  Miss  Madeline 
L.  Glynn,  and  rounded  out  the  quartet  with  Alfred  Armand, 
the  tenor,  Hal  Pierson,  the  bass,  and  Louise  Carlyle,  of  that 
famous  vaudeville  organization,  the  Manhattan  Trio.  They 
sailed  on  August  5,  1918.  Mr.  Mclver  reports  early  in 
September: 

"In  the  seven  days  since  our  landing,  August  25th, 
the  Magic  Unit  has  given  twenty  shows,  five  of  which  were 
under  shell  fire,  some  with  piano  and  some  without.  We 
have  given  them  with  fully  equipped  stages  and  also  on 
truck  bodies,  in  airplane  hangars,  hospitals,  and  stables. 
Miss  Glynn  is  one  of  the  best  soldiers  in  the  world.  She 
goes  everywhere  we  go  and  undergoes  all  the  inconveniences 
without  a  miu-mur.  The  two  boys,  Hal  Pierson  and  Alfred 
Armand,  are  great,  and  my  own  work  is  going  very  nicely 
with  the  boys.  We  leave  today  for  the  front,  with  full 
equipment — tin  hats,  gas  masks,  knapsacks,  and  blankets. 
No  baggage  except  the  egg  bag  and  music  rolls." 

In  Troyes,  about  half  way  between  Paris  and  the  front, 
the  Mclver  Unit  found  a  wounded  American  aviator  alone 
in  a  local  hospital.  They  loaded  him  into  a  truck  and 
took  him  to  town  to  see  a  real  show  on  a  stage,  with  foot- 
Ughts  and  piano.  It  was  the  first  show  he  had  seen  in 
France.  "He  was  so  happy  that  he  cried,"  reports  Mclver. 


Amparito  Farrar  was  a  picturesque  artist  who   went 
over  in  what  afterward  came  to  be  known  as  the  second 


PUSHING  UP  TO  THE  FRONT  133 

wave  of  entertainers.  She  sailed  August  9,  1918.  Miss 
Farrar  is  an  Oregon  girl  who  spent  most  of  her  early  life 
in  California;  she  studied  in  Paris,  Berlin,  and  London, 
and  became  a  noted  Ijrric  soprano.  She  was  of  immense 
service  abroad  not  only  because  of  her  beautiful  voice — 
she  had  sung  in  grand  opera  at  the  Royal  Opera  in  Vienna, 
and  in  light  opera  in  New  York — but  also  because  of  her 
remarkable  fluency  in  languages.  She  spoke  with  equal 
facility  English,  Spanish,  French,  Italian,  and  German. 
She  was  accompanied  on  her  trip  by  her  mother,  Mrs. 
Guadalupa  Farrar,  who  is  an  accomplished  pianist. 

Miss  Farrar  gave  a  very  successful  series  of  Franco- 
American  concerts,  specializing  in  the  American  troops 
brigaded  with  the  French,  where  the  mixed  audiences 
welcomed  her  and  fell  in  love  with  her  on  about  even  terms. 
"I  have  sung,"  she  writes  home,  "in  motor  camps,  huts, 
bakeries,  hospitals,  and  even  at  the  bedsides  of  the  boys, 
one  at  a  time;  everything  from  grand  opera  to  'Tickle  Toe.' 
I  even  dance  a  little.  Such  a  spirit!  They  want  to  get 
right  out  of  bed  and  go  back  at  the  Boches.  And  they 
want  the  best  you  can  give  them — nothing  is  too  good 
for  them." 

Miss  Farrar  also  sang  in  municipal  theatres,  where  her 
European  reputation  secured  her  a  constant  welcome 
among  the  French  and  other  Allied  soldiers  along  her 
itinerary;  but  always  dearest  to  her  heart  were  the  audi- 
ences of  doughboys  on  whom  she  centered  her  efforts  as 
far  as  possible.  "They  seem  to  love  us,"  she  writes,  "and 
I  know  I  love  them.  It  never  fails  to  bring  a  throb  to  my 
heart  to  hear  Americans  on  the  street  when  they  catch 
sight  of  us  as  we  go  by.  They  always  say  'American  girls! 
Gee,  those  American  girls  look  good  to  me!'  Well,  I  am 
certainly  glad  I  am  an  American  girl,  and  I  never  was  so 
glad  of  it  before." 


i 


CHAPTER  XVII 

KNIGHTS  AND  LADIES 

*'The  expectancy  and  rose  of  the  fair  state 
The  glass  of  fashion  and  the  mould  of  form, 
The  observed  of  all  observers!" 

Hamlet. 

Many  an  American  girl  discovered  that  there  was  no 
place  in  the  world  where  she  was  safer  than  in  the  Amer- 
ican Army.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  some  of  the 
most  successful  of  all  the  entertainment  troupes  were  those 
which  were  composed  of  women  only.  These  traveled 
about  France  with  no  escort,  manager,  or  male  protector 
whatsoever. 

The  experience  of  these  American  girls  is  one  of  the 
finest  tributes  that  can  be  given  to  the  soldiers.  More- 
over, it  forms  the  basis  for  a  psychological  study  into  the 
character  of  American  youth  as  it  expressed  itself  under 
the  strain  and  stress  of  war.  One  of  the  hundreds  of  Amer- 
ican girls  who  could  bear  such  witness  is  Vera  Barstow, 
who  ran  the  gamut  of  the  A.  E.  F.  up  to  the  firing  line; 
and  she  declares:  "The  American  doughboy  was  the  truest 
gentleman  I  ever  met.  First,  last,  and  all  the  time  he 
was  a  gentleman  wherever  he  met  an  American  girl." 

The  unit  known  as  "The  Musical  Foursome"  sailed  from 
New  York  on  the  transport  Lapland  on  September  16, 
1918.  It  was  composed  of  Miss  Barstow,  violinist;  Maude 
Allen,  soprano;  Lucie  Babcock,  accompanist;  and  Mildred 
Evans,  reader.  Hardly  had  they  passed  the  Statue  of 
Liberty  when,  with  another  unit  aboard,  they  began  to 
entertain  the  soldiers  on  deck,  most  of  whom  were  marines 
from  a  camp  in  Florida.  An  epidemic  of  flu  broke  out, 
which  resulted  in  much  sickness  and  a  number  of  deaths. 

134 


KNIGHTS  AND  LADIES  135 

Miss  Barstow,  too,  got  the  flu.  In  Liverpool  the  unit  gave 
its  first  overseas  entertainment  for  American  soldiers. 
From  there  they  went  to  Paris  for  two  weeks  and  enter- 
tained at  the  hospitals  and  the  near-by  camps. 

^The  first  day  we  played/'  says  Miss  Barstow,  "was  in 
the  hospital  at  St.  Denis;  there  were  two  thousand  badly 
wounded  cases.  We  played  for  the  boys  three  hours  and 
I  never  can  forget  how  grateful  they  were,  and  how  their 
faces  lit  up.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  an  anti-aircraft 
station  and  played  for  the  men.  They  had  been  there 
six  months  and  had  not  seen  an  American  woman;  in 
fact,  they  had  seen  nothing  in  the  way  of  entertainment. 
These  boys  were  so  excited  over  the  fact  of  our  being  there 
that  they  didn't  know  what  kind  of  an  entertainment 
they  wanted — the  chief  thing  to  them  was  that  there  were 
four  American  girls  there.  When  Miss  Mildred  went  on 
to  tell  her  funny  stories  they  were  shouting  before  the 
point  came  out.  We  shook  hands  with  all  the  boys.  We 
always  made  it  a  point  to  do  that  wherever  we  were.  One 
night  while  we  were  in  Paris  we  went  out  with  about  fifty 
other  ^Y'  girls  to  dance  with  an  outfit  in  a  near-by  camp 
— and  they  treated  us  like  long  lost  sisters. 

'Tn  the  Argonne  Forest  we  were  attached  to  the  Army. 
The  Army  had  to  billet  us,  feed  us,  and  look  after  us  in 
every  way.  When  we  joined  the  division  we  were  per- 
mitted to  take  with  us  only  one  suitcase  apiece.  We  also 
had  an  army  cot,  blankets,  and  a  gas  mask.  Water  was 
terribly  scarce  and  we  didn't  have  a  bath  until  we  got 
back  to  Bar-le-Duc — three  weeks  later.  We  had  very 
little  to  drink  and  occasionally  it  was  a  toss-up  as  to  whether 
we  should  scrub  our  teeth  or  drink  the  good  water  that 
we  happened  to  get.  Usually  we  got  up  too  late  for  break- 
fast. We  would  go  straggling  along  the  road  until  we 
came  to  an  army  kitchen  and  then  make  friends  with  the 
cooks.  In  that  way  we  fared  very  well.  Incidentally, 
this  was  a  good  way  to  become  acquainted  with  the  dough- 
boys, which  was  part  of  our  duty  as  entertainers.  We 
had  instructions  before  we  left  Paris  not  to  favor  the  officers 
and  we  always  made  it  a  point  from  the  very  beginning 
to  mix  with  the  doughboys. 

''Once,  when  we  were  with  the  Eightieth  Division,  there 


136  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

was  a  bunch  of  men — they  were  muleteers — who  never 
seemed  to  be  able  to  hear  the  entertainment.  We  told 
them  we  would  entertain  them  during  their  lunch  hour 
and  promised  there  should  not  be  one  officer  present. 
Several  officers  appeared  on  the  scene  and  we  shooed  them 
away,  very  much  to  the  delight  of  the  men.  The  buck 
privates  enjoyed  immensely  our  jokes  on  the  officers, 
especially  when  the  officers  were  present. 

'^Leaving  the  Eightieth,  we  penetrated  deeper  into  the 
Forest  to  join  the  Seventy-Seventh.  This  was  right  in 
the  heart  of  the  Argonne.  Here  we  were  billeted  in  German 
dugouts.  We  could  hardly  tell  from  day  to  day  where  we 
were  or  what  we  were  doing.  The  first  night  we  were 
nearer  the  front  than  we  realized.  We  had  no  cots,  but 
I  was  completely  exhausted  and  slept  all  night  long  and 
didn't  hear  a  thing.    The  girls  did  not  sleep  at  all. 

^^Our  first  German  dugout  was  an  underground  theatre 
which  seated  about  three  hundred  people.  The  walls  were 
whitewashed.  They  put  us  in  the  dressing  room.  We 
had  a  stove  and  were  quite  comfortable.  This  was  after 
we  had  gone  to  join  the  Seventy-Seventh  Division;  the 

^  men  were  all  in  the  line.  The  Colonel  told  us  he  would 
try  to  get  permission  to  take  us  into  the  field  hospitals. 
They  didn't  allow  women  in  these  hospitals;  they  did  not 
even  have  women  nurses.  We  went  up  there  and  gave 
an  entertainment.  The  wounded  men  seemed  to  like  the 
violin  music.  It  was  quiet  and  helped  to  distract  their 
minds  from  the  pain.  We  played  in  the  treating  'rooms' 
— it  was  just  a  tent,  of  course.  The  wounded  were  brought 
in  on  stretchers  and  the  stretchers  laid  right  down  in  the 
mud.  We  took  turns  going  into  the  shock  'rooms'  to  write 
letters  and  take  messages  from  the  dying  men.  We  played 
three  days  in  succession  at  this  hospital;  the  second  day 
they  brought  in  the  wounded  men  from  the  Eightieth 
Division,  and  the  third  day  they  commenced  bringing 
in  German  wounded.    Most  of  them  were  just  young  boys 

!  and  they  were  very  thinly  clad.  The  material  in  their 
clothes  seemed  like  fiber.  It  was  bitter  cold  weather. 
They  wore  just  a  uniform  of  this  fiber-like  material  and 
their  top  coat,  neither  of  which  was  heavy.  I  remember 
one  boy  with  a  shattered  leg;  they  ripped  open  his  uni- 

i    form  and  I  saw  that  he  had  neither  socks  nor  underwear." 


KNIGHTS  AND  LADIES  137 

Many  are  the  stories  of  their  experiences  that  these 
girls  could  tell.  One  day,  while  the  boys  are  fighting  their 
way  step  by  step,  driving  the  German  invaders  before 
them,  we  find  Miss  Sarah  Willmer,  a  Chicago  girl,  riding 
ten  miles  in  a  terrific  storm  that  was  almost  a  cloudburst 
to  a  camp  of  soldiers  where  there  were  to  be  5,000  men  in 
her  audience.  She  arrived  with  her  pretty  white  frock 
soaked.  When  she  mounted  the  platform  it  looked,  as  a 
soldier  said,  "more  like  a  last  year's  nightdress  left  out  in 
the  rain''  than  an  evening  gown.  But  there  was  no  time 
to  change,  and  she  gave  her  show  with  the  abandon  and 
enthusiasm  which  come  when  you  feel  that  nothing  worse 
can  happen  whatever  you  do.  Months  afterwards,  when 
she  was  giving  out  cigarettes  in  a  hospital  back  of  the 
lines  to  the  boys  who  were  being  unloaded  from  a  fleet 
of  ambulances,  an  lUinois  boy,  noticing  her  uniform,  said: 

''The  last  'Y'  girl  I  saw  was  up  in the  night  before 

the  St.  Mihiel  drive.  Her  name  was  Sarah  Willmer — I  re- 
member her  because  she  came  from  my  state.  I  shall 
never  forget  as  long  as  I  live  the  blessed  white  dress  she  had 
on  the  night  she  recited  to  us.  We  had  not  seen  a  white 
dress,  it  seemed  to  us,  in  years.  There  we  were  with  all 
our  gas  masks  at  alert,  all  ready  to  go  into  the  line,  and 
there  she  was  talking  to  us  just  like  a  girl  from  home. 
It  sure  was  a  great  sight,  you  bet;  and  don't  forget  to  tell 
her  if  you  ever  see  her." 


There  was  one  ward  in  a  big  hospital  where  no  enter- 
tainers had  been  allowed  to  go.  Many  of  the  men  who  had 
been  brooding,  or  muttering,  or  simply  lying  despondently 
on  their  backs  ever  since  they  had  been  brought  out  of 
action  were  perilously  near  losing  their  reason.  One  day 
a  young  singer.  Miss  Paula  Lind  Ayers,  asked  the  surgeon 
if  she  could  sing  them  some  lullabies  just  to  see  what  they 
would  do.     She  sat  outside  the  ward  and  sang  the  most 


138  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

familiar  song  she  knew,  'The  Little  Grey  Home  in  the 
West."  There  was  absolute  silence  inside.  Then  came 
another,  ''Just  a  Baby^s  Prayer  at  Twilight."  Then  she 
sang  old  Southern  lullabies  and  Negro  melodies  which 
every  American  knows  by  heart— "My  Old  Kentucky 
Home,"  "Way  Down  upon  the  S'wanee  River,"  "Old 
Black  Joe,"  and  finally  "Abide  with  Me."  Before  she  had 
finished  this  wonderful  group  of  heart  songs — all  of  them 
crooned  rather  than  sung — almost  the  whole  ward  was 
joining  in  the  words.  Men  who  had  not  spoken  since  they 
had  been  stricken  at  the  front  were  singing.  There  were 
no  more  incoherent  yelling  or  nerve-racking  mutterings 
for  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  doctors  had  her  come  back 
again  and  again,  until  the  "lullaby  cure"  came  to  be  one 
of  the  most  successful  medical  discoveries  of  the  War. 
No  ragtime  or  catchy  Broadway  melodies  could  have  done 
this.  When  the  boys  did  want  something  livelier,  the 
doctors  said  they  were  cured,  and  put  them  in  the  evacua- 
tion ward. 


The  work  of  Miss  Ayers  was  duplicated  by  scores  of  others 
in  the  big  hospitals  and  constituted  one  of  the  great  spiritual 
services  of  the  War.  Miss  Alice  Woodfin,  one  of  the  pioneers 
who  came  over  early  in  the  spring  of  1918,  gave  many 
song  recitals  at*  hospitals,  and  used  as  one  of  her  chief 
specifics  the  teaching  of  dancing  to  ambitious  convalescents 
who  possessed  both  feet.  At  the  end  of  one  successful 
evening^s  singing.  Miss  Woodfin  sat  down  at  the  piano 
and  began  to  play  an  enticing  air  that  made  everyone 
want  to  get  up  and  hop  around. 

"This,"  she  said,  "is  one  of  the  best  dance  tunes  ever 
written,  boys.  I  am  going  to  teach  it  to  you  right  on  the 
spot — the  music  as  well  as  the  dance  steps  that  go  with 
it.     It  is  called  the  'Tickle  Toe.'  " 

There  was  a  snicker,   then  a  gale  of  laughter.     Miss 


KNIGHTS  AND  LADIES  139 

Woodfin  hesitated,  but  her  audience  applauded  uproari- 
ously, so  she  went  on,  thinking  they  were  laughing  with 
pleasure  at  the  prospect  before  them.  But  the  snickers 
and  giggles  kept  breaking  out,  and  at  last,  after  the  lesson 
was  over,  Miss  Woodfin  turned  around  and  said  to  her 
accompanist,   ''Now  tell  me  what  the  matter  is." 

So  they  told  her  she  had  taught  "Tickle  Toe"  to  the 
Fiat-Foot  Camp. 

j 
Another  ''woman  party"  which  upheld  •  the  banner  of  \ 

self-reliant  womanhood  was  the  little  unit  composed  of  j 
Marian  Chase  Schaeffer  and  Marian  Dana,  of  Chicago, 
and  Hazel  Bartlett  of  St.  Paul.  They  went  over  on  Sep- 
tember 24,  1918,  on  an  unwieldy  old  ship  that  hit  the 
autumn  seas  heavy  and  hard  and  sprang  a  leak  a  few  days 
out.  For  six  days  there  was  water  on  the  lower  decks, 
which  finally  reached  a  stable  depth  well  above  the  ankles. 
The  boys  in  the  bunks  below  figured  that  heavy  seas  and 
decks  awash  would  keep  silk-stockinged  entertainers  up 
in  their  proper  places  in  the  passengers'  cabins,  but  these 
plucky  Middle  Western  girls  took  off  their  shoes  and  stock- 
ings and  went  right  down.  They  went  down  every  day, 
and  with  their  feet  covered  with  brine  sang,  "If  He  Can 
Fight  Like  He  Can  Love,  Then  Good-By,  Germany," 
splashing  about  in  the  water  to  the  tune  of  that  rollicking 
chorus  as  if  they  did  that  sort  of  thing  every  day. 


There  sailed  from  New  York  in  October,  1918,  a  group 
of  four  girls,  "Just  Girls" — Garda  Kova,  a  classic  and 
esthetic  dancer  who  undertook  the  management;  Margaret 
Coleman,  soprano  soloist  at  St.  Matthew's,  New  York; 
Marguerite  Sumner,  singer  and  story-teller;  and  Diana 
Kasner,  pianist.  They  landed  in  England,  dividing  their 
time  between  London  and  King  Llynn.     They  then  went 


140  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

to  France  and  were  in  Paris  when  the  Armistice  was  signed 
They  entertained  the  Twenty-Sixth,  Seventy-Seventh,  and 
Eighty-First  Divisions  around    Chaumont,    then  went  to 
the  Riviera  and  Marseilles,  back  to  Paris,  and  to  all  the 
larger  camps  again.    All  this  was  in  midwinter. 

If  a  single  group  were  to  be  selected  for  mention  as 
typifying  the  spirit  which  sent  the  entertainers  over  dan- 
gerous seas  and  through  sunless  days  in  cheerless  billets, 
none  would  be  more  surely  representative  than  ''Just  Girls.'' 
Their  engagements  were  so  continuous  and  so  exactly 
met  that  the  unit  was  finally  destroyed  by  the  illness  of 
two  of  its  members.  Margaret  Coleman  returned  to  Amer- 
ica, her  health  seriously  impaired.  The  unit  was  later 
revived  by  Diana  Kasner,  with  three  new  members,  and 
it  followed  the  Third  Army  to  Coblenz  and  played  three 
months  in  Germany. 


Out  of  all  the  companies  which  remain,  let  us  take  a 
final  glance  at  the  unassuming  but  eventful  record  of  one 
of  the  most  tireless  little  units  of  all,  'The  Electric  Sparks." 
Headed  by  Harry  Israel,  its  membership  included  Annie 
Abbott,  the  Georgia  Magnet,  who  had  a  jiu  jitsu  act  in 
which  she  guaranteed  to  lift  or  throw  the  largest  sergeant 
in  the  audience  (and  invariably  made  good) ;  Doris  Thayer, 
a  New  England  girl  who  did  character  singing  and  mono- 
logue and  made  the  song  "Oui,  Oui,  Marie"  universally 
known  throughout  the  American  Army;  and  Gladys  Sears, 
who  did  almost  any  kind  of  dialogue  from  Swedish  to 
Italian,  but  fixed  her  principal  attention  on  Irish  songs, 
and  rose  to  universal  appreciation  by  the  manner  in  which 
she  rendered  the  classic  lines  of  "Knox  'Em  Down, 
McCluskey." 

''The  Electric  Sparks"  went  over  on  October  26,  1918, 
and  Armistice  Day  found  them  the  big  feature  on  the 
bill  at  the  gala  performance  at  the  Eagle  Hut  in  London. 


Y  Minstrels  in  Action 


A  Royal  Stairway 


The  Famous  Palais  de  Glace 


KNIGHTS  AND  LADIES  141 

They  entered  France  by  means  of  the  much  traveled  Brest 
route,  and  for  many  weeks  played  the  lonely  towns  in 
Brittany  surrounding  the  great  Brest  embarkation  camp. 
Here  they  put  a  new  breath  of  life  into  the  thousands  who 
were  chafing  under  the  first  disillusion  of  the  long  delay 
in  getting  transportation  home.  Brittany  was  primitive 
enough  for  any  American  quartered  there,  so  ^The  Elec- 
tric Sparks"  soon  become  accustomed  to  playing  on  a 
dirt  floor,  in  bams  having  no  windows  and  with  what  the 
doughboys  called  'Ventilated"  roofs,  to  let  the  Brittany 
rain  in.  The  pianos  universally  suffered  from  that  richness 
of  tone  which  the  Brittany  sea  air  and  seven  days  of  rain 
a  week  gave  to  mediocre  instruments  which  were  never 
tuned. 

Their  long  spell  of  unremitting  work  took  its  usual  toll. 
Miss  Abbott  was  forced  to  remain  at  Brest  to  recover 
from  an  influenza-threatening  cold,  while  Miss  Thayer 
was  operated  upon  at  the  same  time  for  an  eye  affliction. 
This  necessitated  the  regrouping  of  the  company,  but 
while  in  Paris  Mr.  Israel  was  fortunate  enough  to  enlist 
in  his  company  the  services  of  Robert  WooUey,  a  Y  M  C  A 
Secretary  from  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  who  had  come  over 
in  September  as  a  religious  worker  and  had  been  through 
the  thick  of  the  War  as  one  of  the  best  known  vocalists 
and  song  leaders  in  the  battle  of  the  Argonne. 

The  show  had  a  lively  final  number  composed  of  a  medley 
of  catchy  song  hits,  working  up  to  a  climax  in  which  the 
whole  company,  and  the  whole  audience  usually,  joined 
in  "The  Darktown  Strutters'  Ball."  At  first  Mr. 
Woolley  was  off  the  stage  when  this  great  number  was 
put  on,  but  one  day  he  asked  if  he  might  not  take  part 
in  it.  So  "The  Electric  Sparks"  taught  him  some  dance 
steps,  lively  ones  but  with  due  regard  to  his  professional 
restraint,  and  at  the  next  show  Woolley  appeared  in  the 
center  of  the  stage  and  danced  his  steps  in  the  finale.  The 
result  was  a  crashing,  smashing  hit,  and  the  show  closed 


142  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

amid  the  stormiest  doughboy  approval  they  had  yet  seen. 
Thus  did  the  Church  and  stage  cooperate  to  the  profit 
and  edification  of  the  friendliest  critic  either  of  them  ever 
had — the  American  doughboy.  It  was  a  partnership  multi- 
plied in  many  other  sectors,  in  the  give-and-take  fraternity 
of  the  World  War — and  many  a  doughboy  got  a  religious 
message  from  a  loyal  old  stage  veteran  like  Will  Cressy, 
and  learned  what  a  good  laugh  really  was  after  seeing 
Robert  WooUey  on  an  A.  E.  F.  stage. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

TWO  MAKERS  OF  ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY 

"//  this  were  played  upon  a  stage  now,  I  could  condemn  it 

as  an  impossible  fiction. ^^ 

Twelfth  Night. 

Two  events  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  1918,  while  the 
American  Army  was  engaged  in  the  great  offensive,  which 
carried  the  troupers  to  new  conquests.  The  first  event 
was  the  arrival  direct  from  America  of  a  dynamic  per- 
sonaUty,  a  man  so  charged  with  magnetism  that  he  be- 
came loved  not  only  by  every  entertainer  in  France,  but 
by  every  soldier  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  The 
second  event  was  the  arrival  in  France  of  a  woman  who 
was  to  "conquer"  the  Army  of  Occupation,  after  it  con- 
quered the  Germans.  A.  M.  Beatty  arrived  in  France 
early  in  September,  1918;  and  Dorothy  Donnelly,  vice- 
president  of  the  Women's  Stage  Relief  Society,  arrived 
toward  the  last  of  September.  Both  immediately  began 
to  make  history. 

Beatty  is  intimately  known,  perhaps,  by  more  actors 
than  any  other  man  who  went  to  France.  Because  of 
this  important  qualification,  and  his  ability  to  make  new 
friends,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Personnel  Section 
at  Entertainment  Headquarters  in  Paris  from  the  time  of 
his  arrival  until  June,  1919,  when,  at  the  request  of  Walter 
H.  Johnson,  Jr.,  who  then  returned  to  America,  he  was 
appointed  his  successor  as  chief  of  the  whole  entertain- 
ment organization. 

Familiarly  known  everywhere  as  "A.  M.,"  Albert  M. 
Beatty — theatrical  manager  by  profession,  diplomat  by 
training,  and  a  regular  fellow,  whose  friends  early  dis- 

143 


144  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

covered  his  inexhaustible  vein  of  golden  humor — sat  on 
the  lid  in  the  entertainment  department  during  all  this 
period.  Sometimes  the  lid  rocked,  often  it  was  shaken, 
and  there  were  many  rumblings  underneath.  But  when 
you  saw  Beatty  you  knew  at  least  ''one  reason'^  why  it 
was  held  down,  and  why  the  energies  of  hundreds  of  stage 
people  were  so  well  directed  that  the  whole  enterprise  came 
out  of  the  War  with  the  imiversal  approval  and  gratitude 
of  the  American  Army. 

Beatty 's  job  was  to  direct  the  personnel.  These  are 
simple  words,  but  they  express  a  complex  maze  of  duties 
far  too  numerous  to  recapitulate.  One  can  only  appeal 
to  the  imagination  and  endeavor  to  grasp  the  job  of  a  man 
who  had  to  fit  the  tempestuous  moods  and  artistic  tem- 
peraments of  actors  into  a  program  for  entertaining  a 
fluctuating  army  in  a  country  where  transportation  and 
accommodations  were  the  most  uncertain  quantities  in 
the  whole  uncertain  war.  Beatty  had  to  do  this,  and  he 
had  to  do  it  patiently,  firmly,  uncomplainingly,  and  suc- 
cessfully. The  fact  that  he  did  it,  and  that  everybody 
in  any  way  connected  with  the  operation  acknowledges 
that  he  did  it  wonderfully  well,  is  as  great  a  tribute  as 
can  be  paid  to  any  man  in  a  responsible  position.  Beatty^s 
personal  qualifications  for  his  job  included  a  physical  frame 
which  should  not  be  omitted  in  setting  before  the  reader 
this  picture  of  the  man  and  his  work.  It  was  a  combina- 
tion of  John  Bunny  and  Irvin  Cobb — big,  but  none  too 
big  to  contain  Beatty's  heart,  and  that  is  the  main  point 
in  this  story. 

When  Beatty  first  arrived  in  France,  the  performers 
were  being  sent  out  on  regular  schedules  and  were  being 
capably  and  methodically  handled,  but  there  was  no  one 
who  really  ''belonged"  to  the  actors,  who  talked  their 
own  language,  and  provided  a  shoulder  broad  enough  for 
them  to  weep  out  their  troubles  on.  Beatty  stepped  into 
this  gap  and  filled  it  completely.     He  also  attended  at 


TWO  MAKERS  OF  ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY  145 

once  to  some  very  vital  details.  He  found  that  the  enter- 
tainment troupes  consisted  mostly  of  parties  too  large 
to  be  taken  in  one  car  on  tour.  These  he  broke  up  into 
mobile  units  of  not  more  than  five  persons.  The  total 
number  could  cover  a  wider  field  and  entertain  more  men, 
and  yet  the  units  were  big  enough  to  put  over  something 
good  "even  with  one  member  sick." 

Now  matching  up  actors  for  units  is  no  easy  matter. 
One  ship  would  bring  over  theatrical  recruits  with  a  pre- 
ponderance of  piano  players;  another  would  land  thirty 
artists,  of  whom  twenty  would  be  singers,  and  in  Paris 
getting  balanced  parties  ready  for  the  road  was  a  task  to 
turn  a  man  gray.  But  Beatty  neither  grew  gray  nor  lost 
his  avoirdupois.  He  insisted  on  keeping  his  smile.  He 
made  it  a  rule  that  anyone  who  couldn't  smile  at  the  close 
of  the  day's  work  in  the  office  needed  either  a  rest  or  a 
release — and  they  got  one  or  the  other.  The  units  were 
first  sent  around  the  circuit  near  Paris  for  a  few  days, 
where  Beatty  could  ''dash  out  of  an  evening  and  get  a 
look  at  their  work  with  the  boys."  This  also  gave  the 
players  time  to  quarrel,  which,  being  human,  they  some- 
times did,  and  that  called  for  readjustments.  After  the 
try-out  was  over,  and  the  readjustments  had  been  made, 
the  units  were  booked  for  the  big  circuits  and  sent  forth. 

Expense  accoimts  are  fearful  and  wonderful  things  in 
the  hands  of  theatrical  folks.  ''They  simply  don't  know 
and  can't  understand  them,"  explains  Beatty,  "and  I 
couldn't  deal  with  that  phase  of  the  work  at  all.  But 
fortunately  we  had  two  ' Y'  girls  who  could,  and  these  women 
handled  all  our  actors'  expenses  with  a  finesse  that  was 
another  modern  miracle.  They  conserved  the  funds  and 
yet  hurt  no  one's  feelings,  which  was  a  delicate  task.  An- 
other 'Y'  girl  ran  our  complex  card-indexing  system,  by 
means  of  which  we  knew  the  movements  of  every  unit 
and  the  records  and  affairs  of  every  individual  actor." 

Let   us   observe   the  imperturbable   chief  awaiting  the 


146  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

entrance  of  a  typical  "actress  with  a  grievance"  during 
the  big  days  of  the  final  drive  in  October,  1918.  She  has 
just  come  back  from  a  tour  in  the  Argonne,  giving  four  or 
five  shows  a  day;  she  is  physically  worn  out  and  has  a 
long  list  of  grievances  of  which  she  says,  "I  want  nothing 
more  than  justice,  but  the  moment  anybody  starts  to  argue 
with  me  there  will  surely  be  an  eruption."  After  a  few 
moments'  wait  in  the  anteroom  enter  wornout  actress 
through  door  at  left,  determined  to  blow  up  the  manager, 
resign,  and  go  home.  Business  of  hand  shaking  and  sitting 
down  for  talk.    Then  Beatty  gets  in  his  deadly  work. 

"Well,  well,  I'm  mighty  glad  to  see  you,  but  you  look 
tired,  and  I  know  you  are,  because  IVe  been  following 
you  through  every  mile  of  that  nasty  mud.  IVe  known 
all  about  those  awful  billets.  I  know  the  food  isn't  what 
you  ought  to  have,  and  yet  they  wire  me  youVe  put  it  over 
in  spite  of  everything  and  that  you  go  strong.  Now,  youVe 
had  a  wretched  time,  but  how  those  boys  have  laughed! 
IVe  heard  about  it,  and  it  did  my  heart  good!  We're  all 
tickled  to  know  what  youVe  put  up  with  without  a  grum- 
ble and  we're  going  to  book  you  for  a  run  into  the  S.  O.  S., 
w^here  you  can  get  a  little  rest  and  sleep  in  a  real,  honest- 
to-goodness  hotel  with  a  bed  in  the  room  and  warm  water, 
and  have  coffee  with  real  sugar  in  it.  Now  I  can  see  you're 
not  yourself  after  this  tour  at  the  front,  so  just  go  to  your 
hotel,  and  take  twenty-foiu*  hours  of  complete  rest.  I'd 
have  my  meals  served  in  the  room.  Just  lie  around  and 
read  and  rest  and  have  your  clothes  cleaned  and  pressed, 
and  then  tomorrow,  say  in  the  afternoon  at  two,  after  a 
good  luncheon,  come  in  and  we'll  talk  things  over." 

She  had  been  trying  desperately  to  slip  in  her  kick,  but 
Beatty  beat  her  to  it  on  one  long  breath.  Before  she  knew 
it  Beatty  was  shaking  her  by  the  hand  and  patting  her  on 
the  back,  and  she  was  saying:  "Mr.  Beatty,  I  wouldn't 
take  a  million  dollars  for  my  experience.  It  was  too  won- 
derful for  anything.  I  did  have  a  horrid  time  getting 
about,  but  I  didn't  suppose  you  knew  how  awful  it  was. 


TWO  MAKERS  OP  ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY  147 

and  I  didn't  know  you  were  keeping  such  a  sympathetic 
watch  over  me.  You're  a  perfect  dear,  and  I'm  going  back 
just  as  soon  as  you'll  let  me  to  give  those  boys  all  the  songs 
and  dances  I  can  crowd  in.  Please  let  me  go  back  as  soon 
as  you  can." 

Nobody  could  have  blamed  these  actresses,  for,  though 
deep  in  their  hearts  they  held  an  unswerving  loyalty  to 
the  cause  they  had  come  to  serve,  surely  this  was  no  easy 
life  for  them.  The  reader  who  does  not  know  the  life  of 
the  stage  cannot  imagine  how  difficult  it  was  for  theatri- 
cal people  suddenly  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  system  of 
booking  and  traveling  which  necessarily  prevailed  in  France. 

''In  America,  we  managers  do  everything  for  the  actress. 
They  are  told  to  have  their  trunks  packed  at  five  in  the 
afternoon,"  said  Beatty  in  discussing  this  problem,  "and 
to  be  at  the  station  at  six.  The  porter  takes  the  trunk 
from  the  hotel  room  to  the  sidewalk.  The  property  man 
takes  it  to  the  station.  There  the  manager  checks  it. 
He  stands  on  the  platform  and  says,  'Your  berth  number 
is  19.'  In  the  morning  he  furnishes  a  list  of  hotels  and 
tells  how  to  reach  them,  while  the  property  man  sees  that 
the  right  trunks  go  to  the  right  hotels  and  rooms.  The 
manager  has  informed  them  of  the  hour  of  the  rehearsal 
or  the  curtain  raising.  The  same  thing  goes  on  in  endless 
succession.  But  'over  there'  it  was  different.  The  actress 
had  to  be  her  own  property  man  and  she  had  to  worry 
about  her  own  transportation — generally  in  a  Ford.  No- 
body had  time  to  worry  for  her.  She  studied  her  own  time 
tables,  and  they  were  written  in  French;  she  got  her  meals 
where  she  could  and  more  often  went  without  them,  and 
made  the  circuit  on  her  own  luck  and  initiative,  but  was 
held  to  the  schedule.  It  was  all  very  new  and  difficult 
for  theatrical  people." 

But  there  was  another  side  to  the  experience,  and  Beatty 
saw  this  too.  He  acted  on  the  principle  that  a  good  per- 
sonnel officer  should  get  out  into  the  field  to  see  the  con- 
ditions which  his  personnel  was  up  against.  And  so  we 
find  Beatty  getting  away  from  Paris  for  a  time  in  the  thick 


148  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

of  the  fight,  seeing  his  entertainers  at  work,  watching 
the  last  shows  given  to  the  boys  about  to  go  into  the  Hne, 
and  meanwhile  writing  inimitable  Httle  accounts  of  his 
impressions. 

'^One  afternoon  in  the  Argonne,  I  had  one  of  our  finest 
women  violinists  and  a  splendid  contralto  soloist  sing  and 
play  for  the  boys  of  a  machine  gun  battalion.  It  was  in 
a  natural  amphitheater,  with  the  women  on  the  bottom 
of  an  overturned  wagon  on  the  hillside.  The  lads  with 
their  fighting  equipment  by  their  sides  were  pressing  close 
around  us — a  thousand  or  more.  We  knew,  and  they 
knew,  that  at  dusk  they  were  going  forward,  and  that  in 
the  early  hours  of  the  morning  they  would  jump  off  for 
the  great  adventure.  Part  of  the  outfit  had  just  come  in 
as  replacements  and  faced  their  first  action.  They  knew 
they  had  taken  the  places  of  casuals.  The  veterans  had 
in  mind  the  fact  that  a  man  may  go  through  one  or  two 
scraps  imscathed,  but  with  every  additional  zero  hour  his 
chances  of  not  being  hit  grow  less.  We  could  hear  the 
rattle  of  machine  guns.  Shells  were  dropping  occasionally 
not  far  away.  Overhead  our  aviators  were  patroUng  the 
sky  to  keep  the  German  observation  planes  from  coming 
over  into  our  rear.  The  boys  didn't  want  jazz  music  then, 
they  didn't  want  coon  songs.  The  girls  gave  them  the  old 
tender  ballads,  things  the  mothers  of  these  boys  had  loved. 
Finally  the  soloist  said:  ^Boys,  I'll  sing  one  more.  What 
shall  it  be?'  And  what  do  you  think  they  wanted?  'The 
End  of  a  Perfect  Day.' 

"I  thought  that  girl  would  never  carry  on.  I  couldn't 
look  at  her  myself,  for  fear  I'd  let  her  see  a  quiver  of  my 
lip.  But  she  just  nodded  and  to  the  sweet  accompani- 
ment of  the  violin  sang  it  as  splendidly  as  if  it  were  at  a 
concert  in  Carnegie  Hall.  I  knew  she  was  using  every 
ounce  of  her  physical  and  nervous  powers  to  hold  her 
woman's  heart  strings  from  snapping.  Then  an  officer  of 
high  conmiand  stepped  out  and  said,  ^Miss,  would  you  sing 
just  one  more?  We  want  awfully  to  hear  ^^The  Rosary." ' 
And  then  she  sang  that.  It  was  too  much  for  me,  and  I 
went  over  and  got  very  busy  fixing  things  in  the  bottom 
of  the  automobile." 


TWO  MAKERS  OF  ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY  149 

One  of  the  outstanding  sentences  in  Walter  Johnson's 
report  in  March,  1919,  on  the  whole  entertainment  organ- 
ization under  his  command  reads:  *'As  a  result  of  his 
(Beatty's)  lovable  personality  and  tactful  management, 
he  has  held  a  great  many  entertainers  in  France  whose 
contracts  would  otherwise  have  expired.''  Mr.  Steele 
also  goes  out  of  his  way  in  his  final  report  to  say:  "A.  M. 
Beatty  rendered  invaluable  service  both  during  my  tenure 
of  office  and  that  of  Mr.  Johnson  as  head  of  what  we  might 
call  our  Entertainment  Personnel  Division,  receiving  the 
incoming  entertainers,  grouping  them  into  units,  regroup- 
ing them  when  necessary,  adjusting  difficulties,  straight- 
ening out  tangles,  and  acting  as  a  father  confessor  to  many 
of  the  temperamental  performers.  Being  a  professional 
theatrical  man  himself,  Mr.  Beatty  was  admirably  qualified 
for  this  work." 

Consequently,  when  Mr.  Johnson  returned  to  America 
at  the  end  of  June,  1919,  A.  M.  Beatty  was  the  logical 
choice  as  the  new  head  of  the  entertainment  organization 
overseas.  At  that  time  the  entertainment  section  had 
grown  to  an  organization  possessing  850  theatres  and  huts, 
with  a  total  seating  capacity  of  more  than  750,000, 
181  of  which  were  first  class,  fully  equipped,  full-sized 
theatres. 

It  was  Beatty  who  maintained  this  organization  at  its 
highest  pitch  until  the  time  came  to  ease  off  its  activities 
with  the  rapid  demobilization  of  the  American  Army. 
Even  then,  especially  in  the  Paris  and  Le  Mans  areas, 
new  demands  for  entertainment  arose  here  and  there, 
and  the  entertainment  section  was  not  able  to  finish  its 
official  work  until  August  16,  1919,  remaining  to  the  end 
as  one  of  the  last  units  of  the  whole  American  Army  to  be 
demobilized  and  sent  home.  It  was  with  a  full  heart  that 
Mr.  Beatty  closed  the  final  report  on  August  30,  1919, 
with  these  words  of  just  and  proper  pride:  "We  have  a 
sense  of  having  been  of  real  benefit  to  the  personnel  of 


150  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

the  Army  and  a  feeling  that  our  time  has  been  well  spent 
and  that  we  can,  in  honor,  write  Finis,' ^ 


Now  to  our  '^second  event" — the  achievement  of  Dorothy 
Donnelly.  Of  all  that  army  of  fine  dramatic  artists  who 
went  to  France,  it  is  fair  to  say  that  no  one  labored  more 
diligently  and  self-sacrificingly,  or  accomplished  greater 
results  than  Miss  Donnelly,  authoress,  play  collaborator, 
and  one  of  the  real  personalities  of  the  American  stage. 

Dorothy  Donnelly  is  best  known  to  the  American  play- 
going  public  for  her  performance  a  few  seasons  ago  in  the 
title  role  of  "Madame  X."  Long  one  of  the  organizers 
and  leaders  of  the  Stage  Women's  War  Rehef,  Miss  Don- 
nelly was  slated  to  go  overseas  as  a  dramatic  coach  and 
organizer  of  soldier  drama  activity  as  soon  as  war  condi- 
tions permitted.  Unfortunately  her  plans  were  subject 
to  the  same  delays  that  unavoidably  deterred  the  Over 
There  Theatre  League,  but  Miss  Donnelly  left  on  Sep- 
tember 17,  1918,  and  spent  in  France  and  Germany  almost 
a  year  of  untiring  effort  which  made  her  one  of  the  best 
known  and  best  loved  figures  in  the  American  Army.  She 
took  with  her  as  collaborator  and  confrere,  Mrs.  Patricia 
Henshaw,  a  California  girl  who  was  a  concert  singer,  pianist, 
and  ingenue  actress  of  ability  and  charm,  and  who  became 
known  and  adored  as  Patsy  throughout  the  ranks  of  the 
A.  E.  F. 

Miss  Donnelly's  activities  up  to  the  close  of  the  War 
chiefly  centered  aroimd  Chaumont,  where  the  General 
Staff  was  located.  Here  she  and  Mrs.  Henshaw  originated 
and  put  together  the  first  and  one  of  the  best  soldier  shows, 
known  by  the  irresponsible  title  of  "Ah,  Oui,  or  Y  Not?" 
This  production  was  inspected  by  General  Pershing,  who 
thought  so  favorably  of  it  that  he  invited  the  King  of  the 
Belgians  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  other  privileged 
persons  to  special  performances  in  their  honor,  but  most 


TWO  MAKERS  OF  ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY  151 

of  all  he  recommended  his  oldest  and  best  friend,  the  dough- 
boy, to  go  and  see  it.  So  ''Ah,  Oui,"  had  to  make  a  tri- 
umphal trip  to  Paris  and  spent  a  happy  week  at  the  Champs- 
Elys^es  Theatre.  It  then  embarked  on  a  tour  of 
France. 

The  most  touching  performance  of  "Ah,  Oui"  was  given 
at  Chaumont  itself,  however,  not  for  General  Pershing 
or  for  any  other  American,  but  as  a  Christmas  ''jazzerina^' 
— a  word  patented  by  the  "Ah  Oui"  company  itself — for 
the  kiddies  of  that  little  French  provincial  town.  When 
they  arrived  they  found,  not  strange  American  ragtime 
antics,  but  a  beautiful  little  Christmas  play  in  French, 
written  for  them  by  Captain  Joseph  Hanson  of  the  American 
Army  and  acted  by  Dorothy  Donnelly  herself.  At  the 
close  of  the  performance,  which  had  to  be  put  on  several 
times  so  that  all  the  children  could  see  it,  Miss  Donnelly 
presided,  also  in  French,  in  giving  out  the  presents. 

Her  own  soldier  actors,  by  now  her  fast  friends,  all 
pitched  in  and  helped  her,  and  formed  an  awed  group  of 
auditors  for  the  little  show  in  French.  By  this  time  they 
regarded  Miss  Donnelly  as  their  own  personal  property 
and  James  Forbes,  who  was  in  the  audience,  just  arrived 
from  America,  heard  one  of  them  say  in  a  breathless  under- 
tone: "Gee,  listen  to  the  way  our  Dorothy  spills  that  stuff. '^ 
"It  was  the  best  instance  I  saw  while  in  France,"  said 
Mr.  Forbes  afterward,  "of  the  absolute  identity  of  interest 
and  of  'belonging'  to  the  Army  achieved  by  a  member 
of  the  Over  There  Theatre  League." 

Besides  coaching  and  staging  "Ah,  Oui,"  and  providing 
innumerable  dresses,  costumes,  and  lighting  effects  which 
helped  to  make  that  performance  memorable.  Miss  Don- 
nelly and  Mrs.  Henshaw  found  time  to  give  a  series  of 
shows  in  the  camps  and  army  centers  which  clustered 
thickly  around  Chaumont  during  the  closing  days  of  the 
War.  In  spite  of  all  their  other  prepossessions.  Miss  Don- 
nelly and  Mrs.  Henshaw  kept  up  almost  a  full-time  program 


152  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

day  by  day,  not  excluding  Sundays,  always  entirely  sym- 
pathetic to  the  audiences  they  knew  so  well. 

Mrs.  Henshaw  had  her  own  approach,  which  was  none 
the  less  sure  and  triumphant.  Not  only  was  she  one  of  those 
rare  persons  who  can  sing  almost  any  song  that  ever  has 
been  written,  but  at  one  time  or  another  during  her  stage 
and  concert  career  she  had  packed  away  its  words  in  her 
memory.  Patsy  Henshaw  would  sit  down  at  the  piano 
and  play  and  sing  the  song  you  asked  for  just  as  the  person 
you  had  in  mind  used  to  sing  it  on  that  romantic  occasion 
you  never  could  forget. 

On  one  occasion  there  was  a  crossroads  service  for  a 
regiment  of  Negro  troops,  the  last  before  they  went  into 
the  line.  A  Negro  chaplain  had  moved  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers  with  a  stirring  war  sermon  which  ended  with  this 
fine  appeal:  "So  now  you  colored  soldiers,  free  citizens 
of  America,  at  last  have  the  opportunity  to  justify  that 
freedom  which  white  soldiers  fought  for  and  won  for  you 
sixty  years  ago.  They  are  now  watching  to  see  if  you, 
too,  are  worthy  of  the  fight  to  keep  that  freedom  alive  in 
the  world.  Go  in  and  win  honor  for  yourselves  and  vic- 
tory for  America,  and  God  be  with  you.'' 

Then  he  announced  in  the  most  perfect  stillness  that 
"this  little  lady"  was  going  to  sing  some  of  the  songs  which 
they  had  heard  at  their  mothers'  knees,  their  own  songs 
that  they  could  remember  as  they  went  into  the  ordeal 
ahead  of  them.  Under  the  spell  of  this  emotion-charged 
introduction,  Mrs.  Henshaw  stepped  forward  and  sang 
one  after  another  of  the  Negro  spirituals,  arranged  by 
the  great  Negro  composer,  Burleigh— "Going  to  Jerusalem, 
Just  Like  John,"  "Sometimes  I  Feel  Like  a  Motherless 
Child,"  "Deep  River,"  and  the  finest  of  all  these  primitive 
melodies,  "Swing  Low,  Sweet  Chariot."  Little  by  little, 
as  she  sang  these  beautiful  harmonies,  other  voices  stole 
into  the  refrain  and  as  she  concluded  "Swing  Low,  Sweet 
Chariot,"  a  choir  was  following  her,  singing  the  eight  bar 


TWO  MAKERS  OF  ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY  153 

harmony  in  accurately  placed  male  voices,  swelling  the 
melody  to  a  beauty  which  no  one  who  heard  it  could  ever 
forget.  The  auditors  stood  silent  after  the  song  was  over, 
many  of  them  with  the  tears  rolling  down  their  dusky 
cheeks,  but  in  the  yell  which  arose  as  the  little  automobile 
drove  away  there  was  no  weakness.  It  was  a  real  war  cry, 
and  it  will  ring  in  the  little  singer's  ears  forever. 


The  American  Army  was  not  an  army  of  men  alone. 
There  were  the  army  nurses  who  were  fighting  a  battle 
of  their  own,  none  the  less  glorious,  under  conditions  where 
an  evening's  relaxation  and  a  little  unadulterated  fun 
might  set  up  again  the  tone  of  the  whole  hospital  personnel. 
The  Roosevelt  Hospital  Unit  from  New  York,  which  made 
up  the  bulk  of  the  nurses  of  Base  Hospital  15,  just  out- 
side of  Chaumont,  was  the  first  large  group  of  nurses  to 
arrive  in  France.  By  Christmas,  1918,  it  had  been  in 
active  service  for  eighteen  months  and  was  proudly  dis- 
playing three  service  stripes  among  an  Army  most  of 
whose  members  could  still  boast  of  only  one.  So  when  these 
nurses  of  Base  Hospital  15  wanted  to  get  up  a  show  all 
their  own  and  turned  to  Miss  Donnelly  for  assistance, 
she  let  everything  slip  for  the  time  being  to  help  them 
do  it.  The  nurses'  'Tollies"  ensued.  It  opened  with  a 
rousing  chorus  of  ''Hail,  Hail,  the  Gang's  All  Here,"  com- 
ing out  strong  on  the  second  line,  much  to  the  joy  of  the 
patients  and  the  doctors  who  crowded  the  hospital  con- 
cert hall  to  suffocation.  Miss  Huntington,  a  plucky  little 
nurse  who  had  served  in  the  advance  dressing  station 
along  the  Mame,  wrote  the  show,  and  a  wounded  lieutenant 
arranged  the  music;  so  it  was  exclusively  a  home  product. 
The  chorus,  diligently  coached  by  Miss  Donnelly,  grouped 
itself  attractively  behind  Miss  Huntington  as  she  sang,  in 
a  natty  lieutenant's  uniform,  "They  Go  Wild,  Simply 
Wild  Over  Me."     But  the  most  telling  number  of  the 


154  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

evening  was  that  of  the  nurse  who  dressed  up  ' 'eagles, 
mustache,  and  all/'  to  look  exactly  like  the  Colonel. 
She  rode  a  bicycle  across  the  stage  and  called  down  recreant 
nurses  in  a  manner  exactly  like  the  original,  who  sat  in  the 
audience  beneath.  It  only  showed  how  much  ''lady  sol- 
diers" can  get  away  with  in  war.  The  show  was  so  funny 
and  so  admirably  arranged  and  staged  by  Miss  Donnelly, 
however,  that  there  was  no  official  aftermath  save  good- 
natiu-ed  congratulations. 


In  January,  1919,  after  a  short  rest  in  Paris,  Miss  Don- 
nelly and  Mrs.  Henshaw  went  up  to  Coblenz  to  under- 
take the  second  and  last  chapter  of  their  service  to  the 
American  Army.  There  Miss  Donnelly  directed  for  five 
months  the  soldier  shows  of  the  great  Third  Army.  To 
say  that  she  directed  the  theatricals  of  the  Army  of  Occu- 
pation, however,  is  only  to  suggest  the  bare  outline  of 
the  immense  work  she  accomplished  during  this  period 
which  was  so  trying  for  all.  Miss  Donnelly  deserves  a 
substantial  share  of  the  credit  for  the  sportsmanlike  be- 
havior of  the  American  Army  in  Germany;  for  not  only 
did  her  little  stock  companies,  led  by  her  own  Third  Army 
Stock  Company  of  Coblenz,  put  on  a  series  of  plays,  but 
the  entertainment  program  with  which  the  Third  Army, 
largely  on  Miss  Donnelly's  initiative,  was  fairly  deluged, 
had  a  potent  effect  in  every  town  in  keeping  the  Amer- 
icans, figuratively  speaking,  in  step  and  with  their  heads  up. 

The  danger  that  the  Americans  in  Germany  might  have 
to  rely  on  German  music  and  German  theatrical  com- 
panies for  their  entertainment  was  averted,  and  the  tide 
of  German  artists  who  thought  they  were  going  to  reap 
a  harvest  was  successfully  rolled  back  before  the  widely 
enlisted  array  of  American  stage  ability  that  Miss  Don- 
nelly drew  from  the  Third  Army.  The  boys  put  on  every- 
thing from  "Box  and  Cox"  to  "Hamlet,"  and  their  own 


TWO  MAKERS  OF  ENTERTAINMENT  HISTORY  155 

orchestras  played  everything  from  ^'Just  a  Baby's  Prayer 
at  Twilight"  to  chamber  music  of  the  highest  class.  In 
fact,  the  little  units  of  the  American  Army  which  are  still 
left  in  Germany  continue  to  reap  the  benefit  from  the 
entertainment  program  so  competently  carried  on  by 
Dorothy  Donnelly.  There  were  many  able  administrative 
heads  whose  cooperative  effort  made  this  achievement 
possible,  but  the  genius,  the  inspiration,  which  brought 
forth  the  spontaneous  response  of  the  great  American 
doughboy,  belonged  unforgettably  to  Dorothy  Donnelly 
herself. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
SPREADING  JOY  ALONG  THE  LINE 

"/^  would  be  argument  for  a  week,  laughter  for  a 

month f  and  a  good  jest  forever.'' 

King  Henry  IV. 

The  examples  of  endurance  along  the  front  would  re- 
quire a  Hall  of  Fame  to  perpetuate  them.  Every  one 
of  the  entertainers  faced  deprivations  and  hardships  that 
under  ordinary  conditions  would  have  interrupted  their 
bookings.  There  is  the  "Some  Pep^^  Unit,  for  instance — 
it  went  "over'^  in  this  same  autumn  of  1918,  headed  by 
two  of  the  best  known  acts  on  the  vaudeville  stage,  Rita 
Walker,  the  dancer,  and  her  partner-husband,  Johnnie 
Cantwell.  Traveling  with  them  in  this  unit  were  Bessie 
Carrette  of  the  Hippodrome,  "High  Jinks"  and  "The 
Pink  Lady''  and  George  Botsford,  one  of  the  greatest  jazz 
pianists  in  America. 

The  "Some  Pep"  Unit  put  on  real  jazz  vaudeville  stuff 
all  along  the  lines.  They  were  waiting  one  day  to  catch 
their  train  at  a  big  junction  on  the  American  line  of  com- 
munication. A  long  freight  train  came  in,  full  of  dough- 
boys en  route  for  the  front.  The  entertainers  on  the  plat- 
form were  not  hard  to  spot.  The  boys  yelled  for  an  enter- 
tainment. They  got  not  one,  but  a  series  of  shows  all 
along  the  train.  Johnnie  Cantwell  and  George  Botsford 
sang  all  their  songs  half  a  dozen  times.  Bessie  Carrette 
sang  and  danced,  and  little  Rita  Walker  danced  her  jazz 
from  one  end  of  the  train  to  the  other. 

Johnnie  Cantwell  gives  an  alluring  picture  in  real  actor 
language  of  the  way  in  which  the  troupe  left  for  the  front 
early  in  October,  1918: 

"We  left  for  the  field  today  loaded  down  with  equip- 

156 


This  is  that  so  famous  scene  "over  there."  Arriving  in 
a  strange  town,  preferably  late  at  night,  and  finding  nary 
a  "Y"  representative  or  an  army  man  to  meet  us — and 
asking  in  our  best  ousjht-to-be  French,  "Ou  est  la  Amer- 
ican *Egreck  M.  C.  Ah  headquarter  i?" 


On  a  Sight-Seeing  Trip 


A  Few  Stadium  Champions 


SPREADING  JOY  ALONG  THE   LINE  157 

ment/^  he  says.  "Can  you  imagine  Rita  Walker  loaded 
down  with  a  blanket  roll,  five  blankets,  a  grip,  banjo, 
musette  bag,  canteen,  tin  kelly,  and  a  gas  mask?  And 
she  insisted  on  carrying  them  all.  As  she  started  to  walk 
down  the  platform  to  get  into  one  of  those  trick  railway 
coaches  the  sight  of  that  blond  apparition  loaded  for  bear 
was  too  much  for  the  French  audience  watching  her,  and 
the  French  people  as  a  rule  don't  pay  any  attention  to 
you  no  matter  how  you  are  made  up.  Soon  two  American 
doughboys  tripped  over  each  other  and  relieved  her  of 
most  of  her  bundles.  You  will  wonder  why  we  did  not 
help  her,  but  the  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  we  were  all 
loaded  down,  and  if  you  didn't  know  George  Botsford 
you  would  think  that  he  was  carrying  equipment  for  a 
squad  of  doughboys  minus  the  rifles.  Well,  we  finally 
got  into  our  compartment,  after  tripping  over  a  couple 
of  French  generals." 

They  finally  arrived  at  their  destination.  To  go  on  with 
Mr.  Cantwell's  story: 

"I  was  standing  in  the  lobby  of  the  hotel  while  Felix, 
the  porter  (by  the  way,  all  the  porters  in  France  are  named 
Felix  for  no  reason  at  all)  was  telling  me  the  history  of 
the  War,  and  I  called  his  attention  to  some  of  the  shell 
marks  in  the  lobby.  He  told  me  that  right  where  I  was 
standing  three  people  were  killed  by  a  bursting  shell. 
Bessie  Carrette  said,  'Let's  get  the  air,'  so  we  left  Felix 
flat  on  the  spot,  before  he  had  a  chance  to  relate  some 
horrible  details  of  the  War  and  spoil  our  whole  day." 

The  "Some  Pep"  Unit  fixed  up  their  show  so  that  they 
could  give  it  on  the  road,  or  on  top  of  a  box  car,  or  on 
any  sort  of  trick  stage  which  turned  up.  This  adaptability, 
backed  by  their  physical  exuberance  and  endurance,  cer- 
tainly served  them  well,  especially  in  their  tours  through 

the  hospitals.    On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Cantwell  wrote  home: 

• 

"We  played  a  big  hospital  up  near  the  front  in  the  after- 
noon. It  was  quite  a  large  place  and  when  we  made  our 
entrance  into  one  of  the  large  wards  and  they  realized 
that  we  were  American  vaudeville  artists,  well,  I  wish  that 


158  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

you  could  have  heard  the  cheering.  For  a  moment,  I  forgot 
that  I  was  in  a  hospital.  We  put  on  the  show  and  put 
all  the  'zizz'  on,  too.  After  we  had  gone  all  through  the 
place,  and  had  counted  up  the  house  in  every  ward,  we 
found  that  our  company  in  an  hour  and  a  half  had  sung 
a  hundred  and  twelve  songs,  and  Rita  had  done  her  dance 
twenty-seven  times,  and  when  I  got  through  I  found  out 
that  I  had  tm-ned  into  a  beautiful  tenor.'' 

When  they  got  back  to  the  officers'  quarters  after  giving 
their  show,  they  heard  one  of  the  officers  say,  ''Well,  Sam- 
mie  would  certainly  have  enjoyed  this."  It  turned  out 
that  Sammie  was  an  aviator  who  had  started  on  a  dan- 
gerous mission  that  morning  and  had  not  returned.  Just 
as  the  entertainers  were  finishing  their  sandwiches  and 
coffee  preparing  to  go  back  to  their  barracks,  a  pale  face 
was  thrust  through  the  door  and  a  voice  said,  ''Well,  boys, 
what  have  we  here?"  It  was  Sammie!  He  had  crashed, 
and  come  back  in  a  friendly  ambulance  unhurt  save  for 
a  few  scratches.  The  returned  aviator  heard  so  much 
about  the  "Some  Pep"  show  that  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  stage  the  whole  performance  all  over  again  just 
for  Sammie.  Then  the  tired  quartet  went  back  at  last 
to  their  hotel  to  prepare  for  more  shows  in  the  evening. 

"Talking  about  the  morale  of  the  Army,"  says  Mr.  Cant- 
well,  "and  how  our  shows  affect  the  boys — we  played  in 
a  camp  where  the  boys  had  not  seen  an  American  show 
since  their  arrival  in  France.  There  were  about  three 
thousand  in  the  audience,  and  they  were  hanging  all  over 
the  rafters,  and  looking  in  the  windows.  The  lights  were 
not  working  that  night  and  the  best  we  could  do  was  a 
row  of  candles  for  footlights  and  two  lanterns  for  'borders' ; 
then  they  rigged  up  an  auto  lamp  for  a  spot  light  and 
away  we  went  after  them — and  those  boys  thought  that 
'theatre'  was  lit  up  like  the  Hippodrome.  I  have  never 
in  my  life  heard  such  cheers  as  we  all  received  that  night. 
I  happened  to  meet  the  colonel  who  was  in  charge  of  that 
camp  in  Paris  a  few  days  later  and  he  told  me  almost 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  that  he  would  never  be  able  to  repay 


SPREADING  JOY  ALONG  THE    LINE  159 

US  for  that  entertainment  we  had  given  the  boys;  that  they 
were  all  like  new  men,  happy  and  contented,  and  that 
their  efficiency  had  gone  up  a  hundred  per  cent,  and  they 
were  all  telling  our  jokes  over  again.'' 


When  the  roll  for  ''endurance"  is  called,  there  is  one 
pair  of  mere  men  who  should  be  allotted  a  substantial 
share  of  credit  for  the  extraordinary  nerve  and  pluck  they 
added  to  an  unusually  successful  and  picturesque  act 
overseas.  These  are  Harry  H.  Perry  and  Frank  A.  Vardon, 
two  Denver  boys,  who  went  over  in  October,  1918,  and  in 
175  days  of  practically  continuous  entertaining  gave  335 
performances,  each  packed  full  of  an  hour  of  live-wire 
music  and  singing.  Vardon  and  Perry  were  true  trouba- 
dours— wandering  minstrels.  They  produced  the  music 
by  means  of  two  instruments  slung  over  their  backs,  a 
little  guitar  and  a  big  bull  guitar,  but  every  boy  will  testify 
that  those  instriunents  certainly  did  create  harmony. 
Vardon  and  Perry  played  to  the  American  troops  in  England, 
France,  Luxemburg,  Germany,  Belgium,  and  even  in 
Holland.  Their  enthusiasm  was  so  great  that  the  strain 
and  hardships  were  too  much  for  Harry  Perry.  He  de- 
veloped a  very  serious  throat  disorder  on  his  way  home, 
and  the  ship's  surgeon  declared  that  only  by  means  of  an 
immediate  operation  could  his  voice  be  saved.  The  opera- 
tion was  successful,  and  Perry  and  Vardon  came  home 
in  June,  1919,  a  tired  but  thoroughly  rewarded  pair  of 
full-time  entertainers. 

The  unit  which  went  with  them  through  the  war  zone 
was  known  as  'The  Live  Wires."  It  included  Helen  Colley 
as  accompanist,  who  had  accompanied  the  well-known 
baritone,  Henri  Scott;  Dora  Robeni,  vaudeville  and  stock 
company  actress  in  the  Middle  West;  and  the  charming 
Uttle  Kentuckian,  Margot  Williams,  whose  over-night 
success  in  the  first  production  of  "Experience"  established 
her  on  Broadway  some  years  ago. 


160  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

Miss  Williams  gives  a  little  picture  of  the  audiences 
they  played  to,  in  one  of  her  letters  home: 

"They  told  us/'  she  said,  "that  one  show  of  the  Y  M  C  A 
was  worth  a  week's  leave  of  absence  to  the  boys,  and  I 
can  readily  understand  it  when  I  remember  how  the  boys 
after  each  performance  had  begged  us  to  send  some  other 
shows  to  them  as  soon  as  we  got  back  to  Paris.  The  most 
satisfactory  work  we  ever  did  was  with  the  sick  and  wounded. 
We  would  go  to  hospitals  and  give  a  performance  on  each 
floor  and  sometimes  in  each  ward.  Wounded  soldiers 
would  take  me  by  the  arm  and  beg  me  not  to  leave  with- 
out singing  again.  One  I  remember  particularly;  he  was 
blind,  and  our  singing,  his  friends  told  me,  had  been  the 
first  thing  that  had  interested  him  in  months." 


Another  of  these  original  joy  spreaders  in  the  Army 
at  this  time  was  Burr  Mcintosh — actor,  lecturer,  raconteur, 
war  correspondent.  He  went  over  to  France  early  in 
November,  1918,  just  in  time  to  go  straight  up  into  Ger- 
many and  become  one  of  the  veteran  entertainers  in  that 
entertainment-hungry  sector.  A  writer  who  was  touring 
the  American  Army  shortly  after  it  moved  into  Germany 
gives  this  graphic  description  of  the  type  of  entertainment 
Burr  Mcintosh  selected  from  among  his  talents  to  give 
the  doughboys: 

"Picture,  then,  a  big  room,  probably  once  the  dining- 
room  of  a  hotel  where  rich  Germans  and  foreigners  came 
as  tourists  to  take  a  ^cure.'  This  high,  square  place  is 
crowded  with  boys  in  khaki,  sitting  on  the  benches  and  the 
window  sills,  and  standing  against  the  wall. 

"Up  there  on  the  platform  is  big  Burr  Mcintosh  and 
behind  him  a  knot  of  amateur  performers.  Big  Burr  is 
just  talking — ^just  rippling  along,  with  here  a  story  full 
of  laughs,  there  a  bit  of  homely  advice  which  received  the 
tribute  of  silent  attention,  then  a  question  about  what 
those  boys  are  going  to  do  with  their  future  which  stirs 
the  hearts  and  ambitions  of  his  listeners.  Perhaps  he 
rises  up  and  teaches  the  audience,  'Will  yez  all   be  wid 


SPREADING  JOY  ALONG  THE   LINE  161 

me  when  I  tackle  Paddy  Flynn?'  Perhaps  he  shows  some 
of  those  marvelous  card  tricks  of  his  which  used  to  im- 
press King  Edward.'* 

Burr  Mcintosh  varied  his  program  with  a  lecture  which 
he  called  *'The  Beast  Hunters/'  a  straight-from-the-shoulder 
warning  against  anarchy  and  Bolshevism,  which  was  a 
serious  interlude  in  the  midst  of  his  funny  stories.  One 
of  his  most  frequent  hits  was  a  little  poem  he  wrote  himself 
called  ''The  Doughboy."  He  lectured  constantly,  never 
missing  a  night,  and  would  have  been  at  it  all  the  time 
if  rheumatism  had  not  gotten  hold  of  him.  He  was  ill  with 
rheumatism  in  Coblenz  for  five  weeks  and  a  half  and  later 
in  Paris  for  three  weeks  and  a  half.  But  during  the  time 
he  was  able  to  be  on  the  road  he  was  an  inspiration  to  the 
boys,  who  never  failed  to  admire  his  type  of  upstanding 
adventurous  American. 


No  reminiscence  of  this  period  would  be  complete  with- 
out a  tribute  to  'The  Laugh  Barrage."  Here  we  find 
Kate  Condon  as  the  leading  spirit,  one  of  the  finest  Gil- 
bert and  Sullivan  actresses  of  the  American  stage.  She 
is  ably  supported  by  Amy  Horton,  formerly  pianist  at 
Oscar  Duryea's  celebrated  dancing  school;  Harry  Adler, 
the  vaudeville  ventriloquist;  Florence  Nelson,  whom  every- 
body remembers  as  the  "banjo  girl";  David  Lemer  and 
Paula  Sherman. 

Here,  too,  we  meet  on  the  roads  of  France  "The  Gloom 
Chasers,"  a  gallant  sextette  composed  of  Ray  Walker, 
Ida  Van  Tine,  Olive  Palmer,  Hinda  Hand,  Bonnie  Murray, 
Eddie  Fredericks,  and  Dunbar  Averitt,  one  of  the  greatest 
encouragers  of  sunshine  the  gloom-infested  area  of  Le  Mans 
ever  had. 

Here  we  greet  "The  Quaint  Quintette,"  including  the 
twins,  Mary  and  Marie  McFarland,  who  had  a  splendid 
interchanging  vaudeville  act;  Jack  Cook,  one  of  the  best 


162  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

chalkologists  in  vaudeville;  and  an  anonymous  (as  far  as 
the  records  go)  accompanist.  And  here,  too,  we  listen  to 
'Tricks  and  Tunes,"  which  includes  the  lyric  soprano, 
Nella  Allen;  the  pianologist  and  magician,  Henry  Markus; 
and  his  charming  partner  in  vaudeville,  Erminie  Whittell. 


While  chronicling,  we  must  follow  for  a  moment  one  of 
the  breeziest  of  all  the  companies  that  came  over — 'The 
Manhattan  Four,"  headed  by  Carol  McComas,  the  Broad- 
way actress  who  graduated  from  musical  comedy  to  dra- 
matic eminence.  Walter  Dale,  formerly  one  of  the  ablest 
juvenile  actors  on  the  American  stage,  supported  her,  and 
the  two  other  members  of  the  company  were  Jane  Tuttle, 
soloist  at  the  Flatbush  Congregational  Church  and  Calvary 
Baptist  Church  in  New  York,  and  Eleanore  Rogers,  from 
the  Society  of  American  Singers'  revivals  of  Gilbert  and 
Sullivan  at  the  Park  Theatre  in  New  York. 

'The  Manhattan  Four"  upon  their  arrival  in  France 
were  given  the  privilege  of  going  straight  to  Verdun.  Here 
they  entertained  the  many  units  of  the  American  Army 
that  were  in  radiating  distance  of  that  famous  citadel. 
The  most  genuine  approval  of  their  performance  comes 
from  a  detachment  of  the  Fourteenth  Engineers,  who  ad- 
dressed the  following  little  panegyric  on  the  Manhattan 
Four  'To  the  Whole  World": 

"Never  in  our  experience  on  this  western  front  has 
anything  pleased  us  as  did  the  Manhattan  Four  last  evening. 
Eighteen  months'  absence  from  the  theatre  and  entertain- 
ment may  sound  like  a  short  time  to  the  average  man, 
but  only  those  who  have  done  without  amusement  as  we 
have  can  describe  the  yearning  that  comes  over  one  to  see, 
hear,  and  be  thrilled  by  the  songs  and  patter  of  clever 
entertainers.  And  so  we  looked  forward  to  the  Manhattan 
Four — and  we  judged  them  long  before  we  ever  saw  them. 
'Let's  go,'  we  said.  'It  will  be  good  just  to  see  American 
talent  but,  of  course,  we  cannot  look  forward  to  the  stuff 
we  had  at  home.'    Well,  sir,  we  take  it  all  back. 


SPREADING  JOY  ALONG  THE   LINE  163 

'That  entertainment  was  the  stuff  to  give  the  troops, 
and  it  was  the  stuff  that  cut  the  distance  from  here  to  the 
U.  S.  A.  from  three  thousand  miles  to  zero.  Miss  Jane 
Tuttle's  songs  were  rendered  with  a  tone  that  was  as  smooth 
and  mellow  as  that  hammock  scene  she  described.  Could 
we  hear  better  at  home?  We  could  not!  Miss  Eleanore 
Gala  Rogers  also  was  very  charming,  and  it  will  be  many, 
many  days  before  her  beautiful  voice  and  those  songs, 
which  made  such  a  hit  with  us,  are  forgotten.  Miss  Carol 
McComas  and  Walter  Dale?  Oh,  Boy!  More  action  than 
the  British  artillery,  and  if  they  didn't  remind  us  of  the 
good  old  days  back  home,  I'll  hope  something! 

'^Gentle  Reader,  our  words  are  weak — yes,  they  are 
weaker  than  army  coffee — in  trying  to  express  our  appre- 
ciation of  the  Manhattan  Four.  We  are  modest  and  all 
that,  but,  outside  of  boasting  of  our  third  gold  stripe,  the 
thing  we  are  the  most  proud  of  is  the  fact  that  we  saw  the 
Manhattan  Four." 


CHAPTER  XX 

SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE 

^^This  is  the  very  coinage  of  your  brain: 

This  bodiless  creation  ecstasy 

Is  very  cunning  in." 

Hamlet. 

November  11,  1918,  brought  to  men  and  women  of  all 
races  and  religions  release  from  the  tension  and  horror  of 
war.  The  effect  on  the  soldiers  was  more  indirect,  more 
subtle,  but  no  less  positive  than  had  been  the  dangers 
of  war. 

The  American  Army,  with  the  rest  of  the  world,  dropped 
down  into  the  long  wait  before  the  home-going — the  months 
that  dragged  on  and  on  before  the  victorious  soldiers  be- 
gan their  last,  long  journey  home.  The  motives  which 
had  dominated  the  lives  of  officers  and  men  had,  in  large 
measure,  been  removed.  All  joined  in  the  most  popular 
and  appealing  refrain  of  the  War,  ^'We  want  to  go  home." 
Officers  were  to  be  demoted  or  permitted  to  resign,  men 
were  to  be  demobilized.  The  War  was  over,  the  motive 
for  training  and  discipline  was  gone,  but  the  courage  of 
3,000,000  homesick  men  had  to  be  maintained  3,000  miles 
from  the  homes  which  some  of  them  were  not  to  see  for 
months  to  come. 

During  these  dangerous  months  of  waiting  the  enter- 
tainers entered  upon  their  last  and  greatest  campaign. 
While  the  days  of  adventure  and  danger  at  the  front  were 
over,  there  was  a  new  enemy  to  fight — the  most  dangerous 
of  all — homesickness.  "Your  work  has  only  just  begun," 
was  the  order  that  ran  along  the  lines  of  the  entertain^^. 
''You  helped  to  win  the  War — now  help  to  keep  the  boys 

164 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  165 

happy  and  fit  until  the  great  day  of  the  movement  home^ 
ward." 

It  was  at  this  crucial  moment  that  the  campaign  for 
soldier  shows  was  set  in  operation — and  the  whole  Army 
either  became  players  or  the  willing  prisoners  of  the  play- 
ers to  whom  they  surrendered.  There  was  talent  enough 
in  the  A.  E.  F.  to  furnish  an  imlimited  number  of  shows. 
The  problem  was  to  discover  and  assemble  that  talent, 
coach  and  costume  the  acts,  and  furnish  theatres  as  soon 
as  the  companies  were  ready  to  appear  behind  the  foot- 
lights. So  Uncle  Sam  became  the  senior  partner  in  "the 
greatest  theatrical  business  in  the  world." 

Carl  J.  Balliet  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  had  first  gone 
overseas  in  December,  1917,  as  a  Hut  Secretary.  He  was 
called  back  to  France  in  November,  1918,  and  became 
Entertainment  Secretary  at  Base  Hospital  No.  1,  at  St. 
Nazaire,  where  he  started  in  organizing  soldier  shows. 
General  Orders  241,  by  conmiand  of  General  Pershing, 
directed  "the  attention  of  all  concerned  to  the  importance 
of  encouraging  the  development  of  all  kinds  of  appro- 
priate talent."  Not  only  did  the  order  provide  for  the 
detailing  of  an  officer  from  the  General  Staiff  as  Army 
Entertainment  Officer,  but  specified  that  such  officers 
should  be  detailed  in  "each  corps  and  division."  It  further 
ordered : 

"Commanders  of  regiments  and  other  similar  units 
will  also  detail  suitable  officers  to  supervise  the  entertain- 
ment activities  of  their  units.  All  commanders  will  give 
every  encouragement,  consistent  with  military  require- 
ments, to  the  development  of  soldier  talent  within  their 
commands:  First,  in  the  production  of  theatrical  shows 
within  the  division  or  other  unit,  and  second,  for  the  train- 
ing of  small  groups  of  entertainers  suitable  for  giving 
entertainment  in  the  neighboring  units  and  for  touring 
the  A.  E.  F." 

This  order  appeared  December  29,  1918,  and  was  sup- 


166  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

plemented  by  Bulletin  No.  1,  January  28,  1919.  So  prompt 
was  the  response  that  within  thirty  days  1,000  members 
of  the  A.  E.  F.  who  had  been  professional  actors  had  been 
card  indexed  and  sixty  soldier  actor  units  had  begun  tour- 
ing France  and  occupied  Germany. 

Here  let  us  give  credit  where  it  is  due.  The  notable 
success  of  this  entertainment  campaign  is  due  to  the  out- 
standing ability  and  tireless  labors  of  Colonel  John  R. 
Kelly,  Army  Entertainment  Officer,  and  Lt.  Col.  R.  B. 
Gamble,  Entertainment  Officer  of  the  services  of  supplies. 
There  were  no  men  in  the  Army  better  qualified  for  these 
responsibilities — and  their  achievement  is  one  of  the  finest 
records  in  the  World  War. 

This  soldier  talent  movement  had  started  from  a  very 
small  beginning.  Before  the  Armistice  ''The  Crimson 
Cocoanut,"  a  play  by  Ian  Hay,  had  been  produced  by 
two  Englishmen  attached  to  Base  Hospital  No.  1  in  St. 
Nazaire.  Carl  J.  Balliet  had  used  "The  Crimson  Cocoanut'^ 
as  the  nucleus  of  a  vaudeville  show  with  soldier  actors, 
which  gradually  worked  itself  into  a  musical  comedy 
bearing  little  resemblance  to  the  original  drama.  Mr. 
Balliet's  continued  utilization  of  army  talent  for  enter- 
tainment in  the  St.  Nazaire  region  provided  a  model  for 
the  entertainment  directors  of  the  rest  of  the  areas  of 
France. 

In  the  fighting  days  before  the  Armistice  Clarke  Silver- 
nail,  who  was  an  actor  before  he  became  a  soldier,  presented 
the  Cohan  and  Harris  show  "What  Happened  to  Jones" 
with  soldier  talent.  This  play  was  a  milestone,  for  it 
proved  that  the  boys  at  the  front  wanted  to  see  shows 
with  "women"  in  them,  even  though  the  "chorus  girls" 
had  masculine  voices  and  wore  hobnailed  shoes.  The 
idea  soon  spread,  until  every  soldier  show  had  its  heroine 
and  some  even  had  pony  ballets.  Under  Army  Order  241, 
not  only  soldiers  and  Y  M  C  A  girls  but  Red  Cross  nurses 
and  Knights  of  Columbus  and  Salvation  Army  workers 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  167 

could  be  detailed  for  entertainment  duty,  so  that  real 
girls  were  finally  secured  from  these  organizations  to  act 
in  soldier  shows,  as  well  as  the  professional  actresses  brought 
over  from  America. 

The  development  of  dormant  talent  in  the  A.  E.  F. 
had  started  during  hostilities,  but  after  the  Armistice  work 
on  a  big  scale  really  began.  In  transforming  15,000  dough- 
boys and  sailors,  with  now  and  then  an  officer,  into  singers, 
dancers,  and  spotlight  favorites,  George  W.  Doyle,  assistant 
and  successor  to  Carl  J.  Balliet,  played  a  prominent  part. 
Under  his  direction  men  fresh  from  the  lines,  motor  me- 
chanics, marines — in  fact,  men  in  every  branch  of  the 
service — were  recruited  to  play  before  doughboy  audi- 
ences. The  old-fashioned  amateur  night  proved  the  best 
means  of  discovering  talent  in  the  Army,  not  only  the 
professional  but  the  undeveloped  talent. 

Under  the  direction  of  Colonel  John  R.  Kelly  and 
Lt.  Col.  R.  B.  Gamble,  all  the  army  entertainment  officers 
in  divisions  and  regiments  effected  liaison  with  "Y"  secre- 
taries, having  their  desks  in  the  same  offices  wherever 
that  was  possible.  Through  them,  under  plans  developed 
by  Mr.  Doyle,  announcement  was  made  in  every  company 
that  there  would  be  a  try-out  in  the  local  hut,  that  prizes 
would  be  given,  and  that  the  men  who  made  good  would 
be  chosen  for  army  shows. 

No  one  was  quicker  to  appreciate  and  encourage  the 
efforts  of  a  comrade  in  these  try-outs  than  the  soldier,  but 
it  was  hard  to  ^'put  anything  over^*  on  him.  For  instance, 
in  one  camp  a  would-be  monologuist,  whose  ancient  jokes 
were  received  in  silence,  tried  to  rally  his  auditors. 

''What's  the  matter?"  he  said.  "Can't  you  guys  fol- 
low me?" 

''Speed  up,  bo,  we're  fifty  years  ahead  of  you,"  was 
the  prompt  retort  from  a  man  in  the  third  row. 

Those  soldier  audiences  were  competent  judges,  too, 
for  a  large  number  of  able-bodied   men   of  fighting   age 


168  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

were  on  the  American  stage  when  America  entered  tlie 
War.  These  were  not  slow  about  volmiteering,  and  many 
of  these  soldier-actors  were  men  who  would  not  have  been 
in  the  draft.  In  nearly  every  regiment  there  was  at  least 
one  man  with  stage  experience  and  they  were  eager  to 
get  into  the  work. 

The  best  talent  brought  out  in  a  company  show  went 
into  a  regimental  show,  where  it  was  given  professional 
coaching.  When  the  coach  considered  the  troupe  ^'good 
enough''  it  was  tried  out  all  through  the  division.  Then 
if  it  seemed  good  enough  for  the  A.  E  .F.  circuit  it  was 
outfitted,  costumed,  and  given  its  traveling  orders.  The 
army  entertainment  officer  took  the  men  selected  and  or- 
dered them  detailed  for  entertainment  duty,  supervising 
their  transportation,  discipline,  and  all  military  matters. 
The  "Y"  furnished  coaches,  costumes,  stage  sets,  musical 
instruments,  plays  and  parts  where  they  were  not  written 
by  the  soldiers,  sheet  music,  and  expense  money. 

At  the  Play  Factory  at  Tours  soldier  shows  were  manu- 
factured almost  while  you  waited.  Here,  on  the  side  door 
of  one  of  the  buildings  which  forms  the  big  square  of  bar- 
racks and  headquarters  offices  of  the  Services  of  Supply, 
was  a  sign  reading:  "Entertaining  Training  Studios, 
A.  E.  F.— Y  M  C  A.'' 

The  sign  was  not  misleading.  Those  studios  certainly 
were  entertaining,  apparently  a  riotous  scene  of  turmoil, 
and  a  pandemonium  of  pianists,  pirates,  dancers,  and 
acrobats.  The  real  name  of  the  place,  however,  by  which 
it  became  known  to  all  the  A.  E.  F.  entertainment  workers, 
was  "The  Play  Factory."  For  there,  plays  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  all  the  soldiers  in  France  were  originated, 
written,  cast,  equipped,  rehearsed,  and  staged,  with  a 
speed  and  effectiveness  which  would  make  Belasco  or  the 
Shuberts  open  their  eyes  in  admiration. 

Lt.  Col.  R.  B.  Gamble  and  his  staff  occupied  half  the 
office.  In  the  other  half  were  Howard  L.  Acton,  of  New  York, 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  169 

''Y"  Entertainment  Director  for  the  Services  of  Supply, 
and  his  assistants.  Colonel  Gamble  and  Mr.  Acton  worked 
out  all  the  general  plans  for  soldier  entertainment  in  France. 
With  Colonel  Gamble's  approval,  Mr.  Acton  suggested 
and  created  the  Play  Factory.  The  soldier  talent  here 
was  taken  in  charge  by  two  professional  coaches.  George 
Spink,  of  East  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  who  used  to 
write  sketches  for  Jesse  Lasky  and  is  also  a  popular  song 
writer,  sitting  at  the  piano  fired  a  continual  stream  of 
directions,  criticisms,  and  encouragement,  and  never  missed 
a  note.  Miss  Isabel  Kennedy  coached  not  only  doughboys 
but  ''Y''  girls,  Red  Cross  nurses,  and  occasionally  French 
girls.  Though  the  Army  was  proud  of  the  A.  E.  F.  ^ ^chorus 
girls"  and  every  regiment  was  sure  it  had  the  greatest 
boy-girl  in  the  world,  yet  there  was  a  crying,  sometimes  a 
swearing,  need  of  real  girls. 

Much  of  the  coaching  was  done  by  a  twenty-three  year 
old  sergeant,  Teddy  Symans,  who  before  the  War  turned 
out  vaudeville  sketches  for  the  Western  circuits.  At  nine 
o'clock  he  would  be  rehearsing  a  trio  of  dancing  and  sing- 
ing artists  in  the  ways  of  jazz;  at  ten  he  would  be  rehearsing 
a  skit  on  the  Russian  Bolsheviki  written  by  him  the  night 
before;  in  the  afternoon  he  might  train  A.  E.  F.  ^ ^chorus 
girls";  and  from  seven  to  ten  he  rehearsed  ''The  Black 
Babies"  in  a  revue  written  by  him  on  Southern  plantation 
life.  "The  Black  Babies"  had  offered  their  own  contribu- 
tion, an  original  skit  entitled  "Your  Man  Friend,"  but 
since  this  plot  was  hung  too  lightly  on  the  familiar  tri- 
angle situation,  Symans  had  to  rewrite  the  show.  The 
result  was  "The  Black  Babies"  in  a  two-hour  revue — cake- 
walk,  jazz,  buck  and  wing,  and  everything — which  prom- 
ised to  be  sent  forth  on  the  road  in  a  week's  time  if  the 
piano  jazz  artist  could  be  released  for  art  and  service. 
For  he,  it  must  be  stated,  was  kept  from  rehearsal  by  the 
harsh  confines  of  the  headquarters  guardhouse.  He  could 
play  the  piano,  but  he  would  also  fight.    "As  soon  as  Henry 


170  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

gets   out   of   the   guardhouse,"   explained   Symans,    "you 
fellows  go  on  the  road.'^ 

Nine  complete  original  soldier  shows  were  produced  in 
the  last  three  months  of  the  Play  Factory's  existence,  and 
in  addition  several  times  that  number  were  reconstructed 
and  freshened  with  new  songs  and  dialogue.  Hundreds 
of  individual  acts  were  tried  out.  Captain  Sadler  wrote 
three  librettos — "The  Hindustan"  produced  by  the  Eleventh 
Infantry,  Twenty-Eighth  Division;  "One  for  You  and  One 
for  Me,"  produced  as  the  official  show  of  the  Services  of 
Supply,  and  the  major  part  of  "She  Should  Worry,"  the 
Twenty-Eighth  Division  show.  Spink  was  the  author  of 
"Home  Again,"  produced  by  the  Thirty-Third  Engineers, 
and  "The  Moppers  Up."  The  Tours  Players,  who  so 
pleased  General  Pershing  that  he  aided  the  soldier  actors 
in  the  show  to  obtain  transfer  from  the  Army  to  the 
Y  M  C  A,  were  organized  and  coached  there.  The  Le  Mans 
Company,  famed  for  its  "Wild  Fire"  production,  was  also 
coached  there.  Both  of  these  organizations  were  made  up 
entirely  of  professional  players,  the  men  being  from  the 
Army  and  the  women  from  the  Over  There  Theatre  League. 
For  the  try-outs  of  shows  before  soldier  audiences,  the 
Trianon  Theatre  was  operated,  the  largest  playhouse  in 
the  city.  The  Play  Factory  was  so  successful  in  raising 
the  standard  and  increasing  the  number  of  army  shows, 
that  the  idea  was  expanded  and  Paris,  Bordeaux,  and 
St.  Nazaire  had  similar  "factories,"  all  clearing  through  the 
head  offices  in  Tours. 


In  this  vast  cooperative  theatrical  business,  there  was 
so  great  a  demand  for  coaches  that  a  special  class  at  the 
Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology,  in  Pittsburgh,  gave 
intensive  training  to  prepare  soldier  talent  directors.  When 
the  specially  trained  coach  arrived  in  France  he  was  sent 
to  a  division,  taking  with  him  an  assortment  of  costumes 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  171 

and  stage  properties  suited  to  the  needs  of  that  division. 
He  would  then  organize  a  dramatic  club,  using  soldier 
talent  almost  exclusively.  These  shows  would  visit  near-by 
divisions,  which  would  repeat  their  performance  one  after 
another  in  turn.  And  there  were  "Y'^  girl  dramatic  coaches, 
too.  In  Finisterre  Mary  Sedgwick  and  Rose  Glass  trained 
the  bluejackets  of  that  region  for  vaudeville  and  min- 
strel shows. 

Keen  competition  was  encouraged  and  many  soldier- 
actor  plays  were  produced.  U.  S.  ambulance  sections 
with  the  French  Army  organized  jazz  bands,  and  various 
regiments  and  divisions  put  on  musical  shows  and  vaude- 
ville skits.  Soon  the  Soldier- Actor  Division  had  500  special 
theatrical  units,  ranging  in  size  from  ten  to  one  hundred, 
touring  the  A.  E.  F.  circuit.  Each  theatrical  unit  of  im- 
portance went  through  the  Play  Factory  at  Tours,  where 
the  finishing  touches  were  given  before  the  road  trips 
began. 

When  a  show  was  hammered  into  shape  by  the  coaches 
and  had  gone  through  some  one  of  the  play  factories,  it 
was  costumed  and  outfitted.  This  was  a  vast  business 
in  itself.  From  March,  1918,  to  May  1,  1919,  23,138  cos- 
tumes were  provided;  musical  instruments  and  accessories 
18,136,  including  1,590  obtained  by  the  Third  Army; 
sheet  music  447,908  copies,  including  350,000  published 
by  the  Third  Army;  orchestrations  18,100,  including 
8,000  from  the  Third  Army;  music  books  11,124;  and 
plays  4,205. 

Before  the  Armistice  Orlin  Mallory  Williams,  formerly 
of  Westminster,  Colorado,  had  the  always  strenuous  and 
often  unenviable  job  in  Paris  of  Y  M  C  A  costumer  to 
the  khaki  troupes.  It  was  his  task  to  see  that  there  were 
frills  for  the  Elsie  Janises  of  the  Army  and  wigs  for  the 
martial  chorus  girls.  Many  of  these  garments  were  con- 
tributed by  actors  and  actresses  back  in  the  States.  Win- 
throp  Ames  sent  over  twenty-six  trunks  of  costumes  in 


172  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

June,  1918.  Here  were  Indian  outfits,  period  robes.  Uncle 
Sam  suits,  cowboy  rigs,  hoopskirts — everything  that  a 
khaki  actor  might  require. 

The  soldiers  had  their  own  wardrobe  mistresses,  too. 
A  staff  of  French  seamstresses  renovated  the  costumes 
and  other  properties,  and  their  task  was  far  from  being  an 
easy  one.  "Ten  inches  bigger  at  the  waistline  this  has 
to  be  made!"  you  could  hear  one  of  them  groaning  as  she 
held  up  the  ball  gown  of  a  well-known  actress  back  home. 
"They  simply  can't  learn  not  to  step  on  their  trains," 
another  would  say,  exhibiting  a  rent  that  at  first  glance 
looks  beyond  hiunan  skill.  "My  boys  are  the  finest  actors 
of  their  kind  in  the  world,"  asserted  Mr.  Williams,  "But  1 
have  to  admit  that  chiffon  floimces  don't  last  very  long 
with  them!  They  forget  that  they  are  ladies  and  take 
long  steps  when  they  have  them  on!" 

Appeals  for  supplies  were  varied.  Negro  wigs  were 
unknown  in  France  imtil  the  doughboy  came,  and  thou- 
sands had  to  be  brought  over,  enough  to  camouflage  an 
army  corps.    Letters  like  this  would  come  in: 

"The  Machine  Gim  Company  wants  six  ukuleles, 

three  bass  viols,  twenty  wigs,  lots  of  grease  paint,  and 
six  pairs  of  bones,  and  the  Colonel  says  the  'Y'  will  send 
them.  WeVe  got  the  greatest  nigger  show  on  earth!  Now 
shoot,  Mr.  ^Y'  man  and  we'll  show  you  the  real  thing! 
(Signed)  Private  John  Henry." 

Then  there  was  the  call  for  gowns  for  the  A.  E.  F.  "chorus 
girls" — that  grew  to  be  a  big  business.  Some  of  the  gowns 
were  creations  by  the  most  famous  dressmakers — Lucille, 
Paquin,  or  Worth.  Dimng  one  month  alone  (March,  1919) 
36,118  men  were  costumed  for  4,000  productions,  divided 
into  134  units  that  played  in  281  different  theatres.  These 
costumes  ranged  all  the  way  from  poUcemen's  uniforms  to 
debutantes'  ball  gowns.  In  fact,  the  A.  E.  F.  debutante 
of  the  1919  model  was  especially  successful.  "She"  may 
have  fought  in  the  Argonne  or  Chateau-Thierry  as  train- 


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fac  S  P  a; 
03  03  ^  C! 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  173 

ing  for  her  ''maiden  effort,"  but  her  back-of-the-footlights 
manner  retained  nothing  of  the  offensive. 

''Are  you  a  lady?'^  inquires  the  beautiful  young  gentle- 
man in  the  dress  suit.  "Gawd,  I  try  to  be,"  she  answers 
in  perfect  New  York. 

"I  want  a  costume  for  a  lady,"  said  the  entertainment 
officer  of  the  316  F.  A.  of  the  Wild  Cat  Division.  "What 
size?"  asked  the  "Y"  costumer.  "About  a  perfect  forty- 
two,"  he  ventured. 

Two  "gobs"  chorus  ladies  were  sent  up  to  Paris  to  select 
their  own  costumes.  They  fared  very  nicely  until  it  came 
to  the  choice  of  the  shoes.  "Des  shoes  pour  moi,"  the 
younger  and  fairer  urged  of  the  shopkeeper.  A  sturdy 
pair  of  hobnailed  buckskins  were  presented.  "Non,  non, 
comme  ga,"  he  pointed  to  a  pair  of  high  heelers.  Then 
followed  an  argument  in  which  the  sanity  of  the  sailor 
was  openly  questioned  by  the  shopkeeper.  The  chorus 
ladies  departed  sans  slippers.  "Gee,  they're  a  race  with- 
out imagination,"  he  maligned,  "they  can't  even  recognize 
a  blushing  heroine  when  she  admits  it." 

At  Nantes,  one  of  the  most  famous  costiuning  establish- 
ments in  France  worked  exclusively  for  the  soldier  actor 
section  and  at  Coblenz  a  complete  German  costume  house 
was  taken  over.  Scenery  departments  were  established  in 
every  area.  In  St.  Nazaire  German  prisoners  painted 
scenery  for  doughboy  shows. 


Music  was  an  inseparable  part  of  these  soldier  shows. 
Many  of  them  were  musical  revues,  and  dancing  skits  that 
made  music  absolutely  necessary.  There  was  plenty  of 
musical  talent  in  the  Army,  but  the  crying  need  was  for 
instruments.  Because  of  an  army  regulation,  the  boys 
in  general  could  not  take  their  instruments  to  France. 
Instruments  were  very  expensive  there,  because  their 
manufacture  had  been  suspended  during  the  War,  so  the 


174  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

boys^  pay  would  not  permit  their  buying  them.  In  the 
Army  of  Occupation  sheet  music  was  put  out  in  bulk  by 
a  photographic  process.  German  composers  were  hired 
to  make  orchestral  compositions,  which  were  also  photo- 
graphed and  put  out  in  enormous  quantities. 

After  the  Armistice  a  number  of  army  show  units  were 
taken  over  into  the  "Y*'  service.  The  American  Ambulance 
Jazz  Band  saw  six  months  of  active  service  with  the  Italian 
Army.  It  also  gave  special  concerts  under  the  auspices 
of  Ambassador  Page  and  Princess  Yolando,  appearing  in 
Florence,  Rome,  Bologna,  Naples,  and  Venice,  where  it 
gave  a  gondola  jazz  concert  on  the  Grand  Canal.  Its 
concerts  so  amazed  and  delighted  the  Italians  that  the 
biggest  phonograph  concern  in  Italy  offered  to  pay  a  high 
price  for  records.  Owing  to  army  regulations,  however, 
the  contract  was  declined,  but  the  band  played  for  fifteen 
records,  which  are  immensely  popular  in  Italy.  Later, 
they  were  granted  several  months  of  additional  time  in 
France  to  tour  the  leave  areas  and  base  ports.  Their  fine 
war  record  and  their  ability  to  put  pep  into  the  Yankee 
troops  made  them  a  great  attraction. 

General  Pershing's  "Own  Band"  of  105  musicians 
selected  from  all  the  combatant  divisions,  which  was  at 
Chaumont  for  five  months  under  the  directorship  of  Lieu- 
tenant Fisher,  represented  the  best  musical  talent  in  the 
A.  E.  F.  It  delighted  many  Parisian  audiences  at  the 
Cirque  de  Paris,  and  at  concerts  for  the  French  Homes 
Association.  It  played  for  the  soldier  athletes  of  twenty- 
two  different  nations  competing  at  the  International  Games 
at  the  Pershing  Stadium  near  Paris.  It  made  its  final 
appearance  in  France  in  the  Victory  Parade  on  Bastille 
Day,  marching  under  the  Arch  of  Triumph  with  the  vic- 
torious Allied  Armies.  Later  it  appeared  in  triumphal 
parades  in  America. 

The  famous  Scrap  Iron  Jazz  Band,  with  each  member 
a  real  artist  in  jazz,  which  was  composed  of  members  of 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  175 

Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  and  Western  Reserve 
University,  Cleveland,  after  being  attached  for  nearly 
two  years  to  the  British  forces  toured  the  American  camps 
and  leave  centers  of  France  for  several  months.  These 
were  only  a  few  of  the  organizations,  large  and  small, 
which  made  American  marches  and  American  jazz  known 
and  popular  throughout  France. 

Many  of  the  soldier  shows,  as  we  have  seen,  had  former 
professional  stage  men  in  them — actors  from  the  trenches — 
as  well  as  amateurs;  others  made  much  of  the  fact  that 
not  one  of  the  cast  had  ever  been  on  the  professional  stage, 
such  as  the  "O.  U.  Wild  Cats,"  the  Eighty-First  Division 
show  which  became  one  of  the  most  popular  in  the  A.  E.  F. 
One  of  the  earliest  soldier  shows  was  the  Argonne  Players 
of  the  Seventy-Seventh  Division.  They  staged  their  first 
performance  in  the  Argonne  Forest  in  a  German  built 
theatre,  twenty-four  hours  after  it  had  been  wrested  from 
the  enemy.  Their  show,  "The  Amex  Revue, '^  written 
by  Lieutenant  Warren  E.  Diefendorf,  was  put  on  by  a 
troupe  of  thirty  soldiers  who  had  had  theatrical  experience 
before  entering  the  War.  On  their  first  divisional  tour 
the  Argonne  Players  actually  performed  under  shell-fire. 
In  spite  of  this  not  a  performance  was  postponed.  After 
its  first  performance,  the  revue  was  presented  in  ruined 
cathedrals,  tents,  underground  theatres,  chateaux,  huts, 
and  on  open-air  platforms.  President  and  Mrs.  Wilson 
and  the  members  of  the  Peace  Commission  attended  the 
performance  of  the  Argonne  Players  in  the  Champs  Elys^es 
Theatre,  Paris.  The  boys  of  the  division  think  that  the 
President  hastened  their  sailing  date  when  he  heard  their 
song,  "We  Would  Like  to  Know  Just  How  Soon  Before 
It's  Over,  Over  Here" — for  they  sailed  soon  after  appear- 
ing before  him. 


There  was  plenty  of  pathos,  too,  that  was  inseparable 


176  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

from  France  in  those  days.  In  a  hospital  near  Tours, 
for  instance,  a  show  was  given  ^Tor  men  on  crutches  only." 
The  stage  was  on  operating  tables.  Wings  and  curtains 
and  scenery  were  made  of  sheets.  There  was  no  music, 
lest  it  disturb  other  patients.  Yet  the  performance  made 
such  a  hit  that  the  one-legged  men  passed  their  crutches 
out  of  the  windows  so  that  the  soldiers  not  ''fortunate" 
enough  to  have  had  their  legs  shot  off  could  get  in. 

Then  there  were  "The  Convalescent  Entertainers,"  a 
group  of  eleven  privates  organized  while  all  its  members 
were  patients  in  Base  Hospital  No.  46  at  Bazoilles.  The 
men  were  strangers  before  they  met  in  the  hospital,  though 
all  were  professionals  before  their  enlistment.  One  drizzling 
day,  one  of  the  men  sat  up  in  bed  and  asked  for  an  ac- 
cordeon.  When  he  began  to  play  another  man  sat  up 
and  stared. 

"I  may  be  crazy,"  he  said,  ''but  you  sound  a  lot  like 
Val  Marconi  of  Marconi's  Wireless  Orchestra." 

"Discovered,"  admitted  the  accordeonist.  "And  haven't 
I  seen  your  face  on  the  screen?" 

"I  did  juveniles  for  Keystone  Comedies  a  couple  of 
years,"  confessed  the  other.     "I'm  'Sunshine  Hall.'  " 

In  a  few  minutes  nine  others  of  the  listening  patients 
who  had  been  stage  professionals  introduced  themselves, 
and  before  they  left  the  hospital  they  had  evolved  a  show 
of  their  own  and  produced  it  for  the  other  patients.  It 
made  such  a  hit  that,  after  touring  France,  they  spent  a 
week  entertaining  at  the  Palais  de  Glace  and  in  other 
Paris  centers  and  hospitals. 

A  soldier  show  contest  was  held  at  Is-sur-Tille  among 
all  the  companies  in  that  camp  to  determine  the  best  show. 
More  than  150,000  men  saw  the  contests.  The  choice  was 
made  on  a  percentage  basis,  taking  scenery,  costumes, 
music,  and  pep  into  consideration.  The  winners  were 
Supply  Company  321  and  A.  S.  O.  No.  1,  for  the  show  "A 
Day  in  School  at  Hicksville."     They  were  awarded  the 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  177 

prize  which  was  a  dance  at  the  Officers'  Headquarters, 
where  all  officers  were  excluded  and  plenty  of  American 
girls  were  furnished. 

In  New  York,  theatres  have  been  built  for  stars,  but  in 
France  one  theatre  was  built  for  the  first  presentation  of 
the  soldier  play,  ^'Ah,  Oui."  "It  is  apparently  much  sim- 
pler to  build  a  whole  new  theatre  than  it  is  to  rehearse 
one  play/'  observed  the  coach,  Miss  Dorothy  Donnelly. 
The  auditorium  was  started  on  Monday  morning  and 
Friday  evening  it  opened  its  box  office.  The  morning  of 
the  performance  of  the  "Ah,  Oui,"  the  orchestra  looked 
over  the  new  theatre  and  revolted.  "We  have  no  orchestra 
pit,"  they  objected.  "Then  build  one,"  suggested  Miss 
Donnelly.  Ten  hours  is,  after  all,  a  long  time.  Accord- 
ingly, they  dug  a  pit,  cemented  it,  and  when  the  curtain 
rose  at  8.15  that  evening.  Lieutenant  Fisher  rapped  for 
attention  in  one  of  the  best  appointed  orchestra  pits  east 
of  the  Mame. 

"Liberty  Bells"  was  the  Thirty-Third  Division  show, 
which  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  American 
soldier  show  to  play  in  Belgium  and  Luxemburg  before 
French  as  well  as  doughboy  audiences.  A  Luxemburg 
paper  said  of  this  musical  comedy:  "The  performance  was 
perfect  in  every  way.  The  management  was  that  of  a 
field  officer.  Fifty  per  cent  of  the  audience  stood  for  an 
hour  and  a  half,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  with  stretched 
necks. . .  .  And  the  orchestra  was  a  revelation  with  its 
accompaniments;  the  rhythm  was  clean  cut.  I  had  but 
one  fear — that  the  head  of  the  orchestra  director  might 
drop  off  from  his  exertions  while  leading  the  music."  Evi- 
dently their  American  jazz  pleased  the  dramatic  critic  of 
Luxemburg's  leading  paper. 


Largest  of  all  the  soldier  shows,  with  its  cast  of  160, 
was  the  Eighty-Eighth  Division  play,  "Who  Can  Tell?" 


178  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

The  dialogue  was  written  by  Dinnie  McDonald  and  Elbert 
Moore  of  the  Over  There  Theatre  League,  but  many  of 
the  lines  could  probably  be  traced  to  the  uncensored  con- 
versations of  one  buck  with  another. 

"Where  did  you  get  your  training  to  be  a  detective?" 
asks  Mrs.  Gondrecourt  of  the  would-be  searcher  for  her 
jewels. 

"I  was  six  weeks  with  the  Salvage  Corps/'  he  replies. 

"Are  you  from  Scotland  Yard?"  demands  the  English- 
man of  the  detective. 

"Scotland  Yard,  where?" 

"England." 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  Scotland  Yard  in  Eng- 
land," admits  the  detective,  "but  IVe  slept  in  every  barn- 
yard in  France." 

"I  never  have  any  trouble  with  my  French,"  boasts  Mrs. 
Gondrecoiu-t. 

"No,  but  the  French  people  do." 

The  costume  effects  of  "Who  Can  Tell?"  were  of  un- 
usual beauty.  The  Jewish  Welfare  Board  donated  75,000 
francs  to  the  show.  This  was  spent  entirely  on  costumes. 
They  played  a  week's  rim  at  the  Champs-Elysees  Theatre. 
President  Wilson,  General  Pershing,  and  representatives 
of  fifteen  nations  at  the  Peace  Conference  attended. 


As  the  A.  E.  F.  extended  into  Germany,  the  theatrical 
circuit  widened.  Soldier  units  were  likewise  sent  into 
leave  areas  and  the  smallest  organization  in  the  A.  E.  F. 
had  an  opportunity  to  see  the  soldier  actors  at  work.  It 
was  the  ambition  of  every  soldier  show  to  play  in  Paris. 
This  was  a  leave  area  for  thousands.  Here  the  Palais  de 
Glace,  the  Theatre  Albert  Premier,  and  the  Champs-Elysees 
Theatre,  all  under  lease  to  the  "Y,"  with  a  combined  seating 
capacity  of  15,000,  were  turned  over  on  certain  nights 
to  the  soldier  actors  and  here  musical  comedies,  minstrel 


SOLDIER  SHOWS  AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE  179 

shows,  and  vaudeville  were  given.  ^'A  Buck  on  Leave," 
'^O.  U.  Wild  Cats,"  the  ^'Mo-Kan  Minstrels,"  'Tet's  Go," 
and  hundreds  of  others  were  among  the  attractions,  each 
a  complete  show,  staged,  written,  and  produced  by  sol- 
diers. No  tickets  were  issued.  The  posters  announced, 
''Your  uniform  is  your  pass." 

As  a  result  of  this  joint  entertainment  project  outlined 
in  General  Order  241,  nearly  700  soldier  shows  were  organ- 
ized, ranging  all  the  way  from  small  regimental  affairs 
to  such  high  grade  productions  as  ''Who  Can  Tell?"  and 
"Liberty  Bells."  The  soldier  actors  who  did  duty  in  these 
shows  numbered  over  15,000.  In  March,  1919,  the  S.  O.  S. 
shows  had  an  attendance  of  7,350,000  for  10,158  shows. 
It  would  have  taken  one  company  five  years,  giving  one 
show  a  day  and  two  on  Saturday,  to  have  appeared  before 
every  audience  on  the  army  circuit  when  it  was  most  ex- 
tended. Despite  the  rather  cynical  observation  of  a  middle- 
aged  and  somewhat  severe  colonel,  who  remarked  that 
the  entire  A.  E.  F.  seemed  to  be  made  up  of  masquerading 
soubrettes,  there  is  no  one  who  would  hesitate  to  affirm 
that  the  job  of  entertainment  was  the  biggest  factor  in 
creating  contentment  in  the  life  of  the  Army.  Let  us 
turn  now  to  the  stock  companies,  the  real  Broadway  suc- 
cesses that  played  to  the  A.  E.  F. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

BROADWAY  SUCCESSES  ON  THE  BIG  CIRCUIT 

^^For  it  so  falls  out 
That  what  we  have  we  prize  not  to  the  worth 
Whiles  we  enjoy  it,  but  being  lacked  and  lost, 
Why  then  we  rack  the  value.*' 

Much  Ado  about  Nothing. 

When  the  Armistice  was  signed  the  Over  There  Theatre 
League  only  began  to  fight  the  harder.  ^'Extensive  as  the 
entertainment  service  had  been/^  reports  no  less  an  authority 
than  Mr.  Carter,  ''it  was  speeded  up  after  the  Armistice." 

The  vast  organization  of  soldier  shows  described  in  the 
preceding  chapter  was  soon  supplemented  by  a  syndicate 
of  first-class  stock  companies  with  star  castes,  including 
some  of  the  ablest  stock  actors  in  America.  Many  of  the 
most  famous  shows  from  old  Broadway  were  taken  right 
into  the  ranks.  If  the  soldiers  could  not  go  home,  they 
could  have  something  of  Broadway  of  their  own. 

The  legitimate  phase  of  the  stock  company  work  began 
with  the  John  Craig  players.  Then  came  John  Alexander 
McKesson,  known  to  Broadway  as  John  Alexander,  who 
organized  what  was  known  as  "The  Hut  Players"  from  the 
men  at  Neufchateau.  They  produced  Lord  Dimsany's 
"A  Night  at  the  Inn,"  which  was  most  enthusiastically 
received,  also  musical  comedy  adaptations  and  one-act  plays 
written  by  the  soldiers  themselves.  Later  he  organized 
a  group  called  ''The  American  Players,"  consisting  of 
Theresa  Dale,  John  Rowe,  and  Rose  Saltonstall,  who  put 
on  sketches  to  entertain  the  men  in  the  front  areas  in  the 
summer  of  1918.  They  were  followed  by  the  Margaret 
Mayo  Company,  in  August,  1918,  as  already  described. 

A  star  stock  company  was  recruited  in  New  York  and 

180 


BROADWAY    SUCCESSES    ON    THE    BIG    CIRCUIT  181 

brought  to  France  by  James  Forbes,  direct  from  the  Over 
There  Theatre  League.  It  included  professional  actors 
and  actresses  headed  by  Mary  Boland.  Known  through- 
out the  A.  E.  F.  as  the  James  Forbes  Stock  Company, 
they  presented  ^'Kick  In,"  "TraveUng  Salesman,"  and  "A 
Pair  of  Sixes"  at  Paris  during  the  latter  part  of  1918.  The 
company  contained  many  prominent  members  of  the 
profession — Leo  Cutley,  Mary  Hampton,  H.  B.  Kennedy, 
Madge  West,  Homer  Miles,  Albert  Perry,  Jack  Raymond, 
Sidney  Shields,  Walter  Yoimg,  Howard  C.  Bliss,  and  others. 
They  were  booked  in  the  larger  regions.  E.  P.  Daniels 
worked  ahead  of  the  unit  as  advance  agent  and  arranged 
a  route  in  the  S.  O.  S.,  playing  places  such  as  Marseilles, 
St.  Malo,  Antwerp,  and  Brest.  They  gave  a  Dramatic 
Special  in  Paris  on  December  21,  1918,  at  the  Th^dtre 
des  Champs-Elys6es  with  "Kick  In"  as  the  play  of  the 
occasion. 

Two  of  the  ablest  figures  in  the  whole  overseas  theatrical 
enterprise  appear  here  in  the  organization  and  operation 
of  these  stock  companies — A.  M.  Beatty,  whom  we  have 
already  met;  and  after  the  Armistice,  Oswald  Yorke,  the 
well  known  actor,  who  built  dramatic  units  in  the  form 
of  stock  companies.  Mr.  Yorke  organized  and  directed 
his  work  from  the  Paris  Headquarters.  It  took  considerable 
ingenuity  to  select  plays  for  this  purpose.  He  had  to  keep 
in  the  field  as  many  traveling  stock  companies  as  the  supply 
of  talent  would  permit.  Often  Mr.  Yorke  was  compelled 
to  oversee  personally  the  work  these  companies  were 
doing  in  the  field  and  to  adjust  whatever  difficulties  menaced 
the  stabiUty  of  such  units.  He  was  aided  by  a  corps  of 
assistants  and  coaches.  Mr.  Yorke  organized  and  operated 
seven  stock  companies.  These  companies  made  their 
headquarters  mostly  at  St.  Nazaire,  Brest,  Bourges,  and 
Tours.  They  played  "Kick  In,"  "Wild  Fire,"  "Twin 
Beds,"  "A  Pah"  of  Sixes,"  "Stop  Thief,"  and  many  other 
Broadway  successes. 


182  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

One  of  the  most  popular  stock  companies  organized  by 
Mr.  Yorke  was  the  Brest  Stock  Company,  every  soldier 
in  which  had  seen  active  service  on  the  front.  They  offered 
Eugene  Walters's  'Taid  in  Full,"  along  with  their  biggest 
hit,  "His  Majesty  Bunker  Bean."  The  production  and 
staging  of  the  weekly  plays  of  this  company  were  under 
the  direction  of  Corporal  Howard  Lindsay,  who  before 
the  War  was  stage  manager  with  Margaret  Anglin.  The 
cast  included  three  girl  entertainers  sent  over  by  the  Over 
There  Theatre  League,  the  Misses  Betty  Barnicoat,  formerly 
with  Castle  Square  Theatre  in  Boston;  Irene  Timmons 
of  New  York,  who  played  with  Charlotte  Walker  in  the 
"Plain  Woman,"  and  was  the  heroine  in  "When  We  Were 
Twenty-One";  and  Phyllis  Carrington  of  New  York  City. 
Then  there  were  Ruth  Garland,  Alice  Guthrie,  and  others. 
From  the  various  branches  of  the  A.  E.  F.  came  Sergeant 
Bernard  Nedell,  John  Alexander,  Sergeant  Tod  Brown, 
and  Private  Arthur  Kohl.  The  Municipal  Theatre  at 
Brest  burned  down  and  they  continued  their  performances 
on  the  stage  in  one  of  the  largest  huts.  They  also  appeared 
at  the  Champs-Elysees  Theatre  in  Paris.  This  theatre 
was  reserved  for  divisional  and  regimental  shows  and  most 
of  the  stock  companies  appeared  at  the  Albert  Premier. 

From  the  Play  Factory  which  we  have  described  came 
the  Tours  Dramatic  Theatre  at  Tours.  Maida  Davis,  a 
canteen  worker,  changed  her  career  in  France  and  be- 
came an  actress  with  this  company.  Their  other  offering 
was  "Officer  666."  Hugh  E.  Wallace,  Marie  Falls,  AUce 
Baxter,  Howard  Hall,  George  Leary,  Ethel  Martin,  W.  J. 
Roe,  H.  B.  Turnbull,  Mary  Lena  Wilson,  and  Howard 
Wysong  were  the  professional  members  of  this  company. 

In  the  Le  Mans  region,  Madison  Corey,  New  York 
producer  of  such  successes  as  Mrs.  Fiske  in  "Erstwhile 
Susan"  and  John  Barrymore  in  "Justice,"  recruited  and 
directed  talent  for  soldier  shows  and  stock  companies. 
Under  his  direction  the  Le  Mans  Stock  Company  presented 


BROADWAY    SUCCESSES    ON    THE    BIG    CIRCUIT  183 

big  successes  with  a  professional  caste  and  soldier  talent. 
This  company  included  Dallas  Tyler  Fairchild,  leading 
woman  and  playwright.  They  also  played  ^ 'Under  Cover^' 
in  various  points  in  the  field  and  gave  one  week's  per- 
formance at  Paris.  Walter  Bull,  F.  Esmelton,  Frances 
Golden,  Marian  Tanner,  Elizabeth  Paige,  Pauline  Whitson, 
and  Bertha  Alice  Wyatt  were  the  professional  members. 

The  Paris  Stock  Company  was  the  outcome  of  the  ' 'Play- 
let Players. ''  It  was  assigned  to  produce  plays  such  as 
'The  Bishop's  Candlesticks"  and  "Words  Mean  Nothing." 
They  gave  two  weeks  of  performances  in  Paris  in  the 
Palais  de  Glace  before  20,000  soldiers.  They  played  at 
Aignan,  Le  Mans,  and  Coblenz.  Annette  Tyler,  Frances 
Golden,  Harry  J.  Mates,  George  P.  Smith,  Jack  Storey, 
Louise  Hamilton,  and  Jeannette  Grant  were  members 
of  the  company. 

The  American  Players,  made  up  of  some  of  the  members 
of  the  Craig  Stock  Company,  were  sent  to  the  fifth  region 
and  played  at  the  leave  areas.  They  were  in  charge  of 
Frederick  Cowley.  The  company  included  Ivy  Troutman, 
Rose  Saltonstall,  Theresa  Dale,  Rawn  Rapsher  and  W.  C. 
Swain.  They  presented  one  act  plays  such  as  "Strenuous 
Rehearsal"  by  Claude  Gillingwater,  "Bills"  by  William 
Francis,  and  "After  the  War"  by  J.  W.  Stevens.  They 
were  booked  at  Nice,  Nimes,  Lamalou-les-Bains,  Val-les- 
Bain,  Grenoble,  and  Aix-les-Bains. 

Dorothy  Donnelly  organized  and  rehearsed  the  Third 
Army  Stock  Company  composed  of  professional  soldier 
actors  and  actresses,  which  played  "Seven  Keys  to  Bald- 
pate."  Harrington  Reynolds  was  the  stage  manager. 
Rosalind  Fuller,  Helen  Scott,  Patricia  O'Connor,  and 
Harriet  Sterling  were  members. 

About  April,  1919,  Charles  Silvernail,  an  actor,  secured 
permission  from  Cohan  and  Harris  to  present  "What 
Happened  to  Jones,"  with  soldiers  to  be  used  as  talent 
in  the  cast.     They  were  known  as  the  Paris  Players  and 


184  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

they  added  to  their  repertoke  such  plays  as  ''Under  Cover," 
''Officer  666,"  "ffick  In,"  "A  Pair  of  Sixes,"  "Hit  the 
Trail  Holiday,"  "The  Miss  Leading  Lady,"  and  "Beverly's 
Balance,"  playing  before  45,000  soldier  spectators  at  Paris. 
Frederick  Truesdell,  Beverly  Sitgreaves,  and  Garda  Kova 
were  professional  members  of  the  cast.  They  toured 
Toul,  Marseilles,  and  Tours,  giving  one  week's  performance 
at  each  place.  Marlyn  Brown,  Maurice  B.  Du  Marais, 
J.  G.  0.  LeClevcy,  H.  L.  Jones,  Joseph  Diffendal,  J.  R. 
Mackay,  Guy  Bollinger,  Gerald  Sullivan,  Read  Rocas,  D. 
Fullam,  Harold  Grigg,  and  Paul  Sorg  were  the  soldier 
members. 

Then  there  was  the  Caserne-Carnot  Stock  Company, 
organized  by  Clara  Blandick,  a  professional  with  an  Over 
There  Theatre  League  contract.  Miss  Blandick  had  been 
with  May  Irwin  and  under  David  Belasco's  management. 
This  company  was  formed  of  enlisted  men,  two  professional 
entertainers,  and  members  of  the  Women's  Auxiliary 
Army  Corps.  They  played  American  plays  by  well-known 
American  playwrights — real  Broadway  successes.  Cap- 
tain E.  A.  Butterfield  secured  Clara  Blandick  from  Nevers; 
the  American  actress  was  reassigned  through  the  enter- 
tainment headquarters  to  Boin-ges  to  act  as  stage  manager. 
On  February  24,  1919,  rehearsals  were  begim  for  the  first 
production  of  "Forty-Five  Minutes  from  Broadway." 
This  stock  company  opened  in  the  Municipal  Theatre. 
Dorothy  Chesmond  was  reassigned  to  appear  in  this  play 
and  in  the  second  production  entitled  "Believe  Me, 
Xantippe." 

The  vast  cooperative  entertainment  schedule  promul- 
gated by  Order  241  not  only  organized  these  well-known 
actors  and  actresses  from  America,  but  developed  the 
plan  originated  by  Carl  Balhet  for  producing  shows  written 
— both  lines  and  music — produced,  and  acted  by  soldiers, 
which  the  preceding  chapter  has  described. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

FAMOUS  CASINOS  IN  A  NEW  ROLE 

"Tte  castle  hath  a  pleasant  seat;  the  air 

Nimbly  and  sweetly  recommends  itself 

Unto  our  gentle  senses.^* 

Macbeth. 

The  gigantic  task  of  entertaining  our  Army  in  the  World 
War  expanded  to  such  proportions  that  it  soon  became 
"the  greatest  enterprise  of  its  kind  that  the  world  has 
ever  witnessed.'^  When  the  Red  Triangle  went  to  France 
it  was  for  but  a  single  purpose — to  serve  the  soldiers  wher- 
ever, whenever,  and  however  the  service  could  be  best 
utilized  by  the  Government  and  the  Army.  It  was  ready 
and  willing  to  do  for  the  soldiers  anything  and  everything 
it  found  to  do  and  to  the  best  of  its  ability.  It  never  ex- 
pected, however,  to  become  the  Shuberts  or  the  Klaw  and 
Erlangers  of  Europe  and  corner  the  management  of  all 
the  leading  theatres — any  more  than  it  ever  expected  to 
take  over  the  leave  areas  for  the  Army,  assume  the  can- 
teen burden  for  the  Army,  inaugurate  the  educational 
system  for  the  Army,  institute  the  unprecedented  system  of 
athletic  contests  which  cidminated  in  the  Inter- Allied  Games, 
or  conduct  a  soldiers'  remittance  and  banking  business.  It 
assumed  the  unparalleled  task  of  all  these  and  many  more 
duties  whenever  the  Army  called  upon  it  for  service,  even 
though  it  knowingly  and  willingly  undertook  the  "impossible.'' 

The  incomparable  record  of  the  leave  areas,  while  a 
great  story  in  itself,  is  so  interwoven  with  the  entertain- 
ment service  that  the  two  are  here  inseparable,  for  it  was 
in  the  theatres  and  casinos  where  the  Americans  were  on 
leave  that  the  actors  played  before  then-  biggest  houses. 

It  was  a  glimpse  of  the  Grand  Cercle,  the  big  casino  at 

185 


186  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

Aix-les-Bains,  while  searching  for  a  suitable  spot  for  a 
leave  area,  that  first  started  this  great  syndicate.  Imme- 
diate grasp  of  its  recreational  possibilities  determined  the 
selection  of  the  place,  whose  name  practically  became  a 
synonym  for  the  word  furlough  throughout  the  A.  E.  F., 
and  began  the  enterprise  which  proved  to  be  the  most 
successful  of  all  the  American  undertakings  in  France. 
It  was  a  strange  fate  that  this  magnificent  temple  of  chance 
with  its  splendid  theatre  should,  through  the  exigencies 
of  war,  come  under  control  of  the  Y  M  C  A,  with  the 
result  that  some  of  the  biggest  playhouses  in  France  and 
Germany  were  later  taken  over. 

The  night  of  its  formal  opening  was  an  auspicious  one. 
E.  H.  Sothern  was  there  and  consented  to  read  Hamlet's 
soliloquy  and  a  poem  from  ''If  I  Were  King.''  Among 
the  permissionnaires  attending  was  an  artilleryman  who 
was  a  member  of  the  company  which  fired  the  first  Amer- 
ican gun  at  the  Boches.  In  private  life  he  had  been  an 
actor  and  a  member  once  of  Mr.  Sothern's  companies. 
He  was  selected  to  introduce  his  former  chief.  Although 
he  had  written  out  his  speech  and  memorized  it,  when 
the  time  actually  came  to  present  Mr.  Sothern  the  young 
man  was  seized  with  stage  fright.  However,  while  the 
audience  held  its  breath,  he  did  manage  to  declare  it  was 
the  ''proudest  moment  of  his  life"  and  bow  to  Mr.  Sothern, 
making  probably  the  hastiest  exit  of  his  artistic  career. 
Later  there  was  dancing  in  the  ballrooms,  with  music  by 
the  military  band  and  local  French  orchestra. 

When  owners  of  rival  institutions  at  other  resorts  heard 
of  the  war-time  use  of  the  Aix  casino  they  all  seemed  eager 
to  have  their  own  serving  the  cause  in  similar  manner. 
Many  visited  this  noted  watering  place  to  see  for  them- 
selves. They  were  so  favorably  impressed  with  the  ex- 
cellent care  and  management,  under  the  supervision  of 
Mr.  Franklin  S.  Edmonds  of  Philadelphia,  assisted  by 
Mrs.   Theodore  Roosevelt,   Jr.,   that  nearly  all   of  them 


FAMOUS  CASINOS   IN  A  NEW  ROLE  187 

offered  their  own  casinos  to  the  Association.  When  the 
Prince  of  Monaco  saw  the  Grand  Cercle  during  the  Amer- 
ican occupation  of  Aix  he  was  convinced  that  the  "Y''  was 
a  good  tenant,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  have  the  famous 
resorts  of  his  own  domain — Monaco,  Monte  Carlo,  and 
Condamine — leased  in  similar  fashion.  But  there  were 
international  precautions  regarding  neutral  boundaries  which 
prevented  any  immediate  step  in  accepting  the  Prince's 
invitation.  The  time  finally  came  after  the  Armistice 
when  Monte  Carlo  could  be  taken  on;  needless  to  state, 
it  became  one  of  the  most  popular  retreats  of  the  Americans. 
France  has  nearly  as  many  casinos  as  it  has  watering 
places.  Almost  every  resort,  whether  by  the  seaside  or 
in  the  mountains,  has  its  amusement  center  where  gambling 
is  a  hcensed  pastime  and  theatrical  attractions  ranging 
from  opera-bouff6  to  vaudeville  provide  continual  diversion 
throughout  the  season.  Thirty-nine  such  places  were 
taken  over  for  leave  centers  and  entertainment,  and  the 
casinos  were  converted  into  soldiers'  clubs  where  the  little 
army  of  entertainers  came  and  went  in  endless  procession. 
Most  of  the  casino  owners  and  lessees  were  pleased  with 
the  idea,  offering  their  properties  without  any  profit  on 
the  same  patriotic  terms  as  did  the  proprietors  at  Aix. 
A  few  were  found  to  be  grasping,  as  is  always  the  case, 
demanding  such  high  rentals  that  the  French  Government 
stepped  in  and  settled  matters.  Besides  the  noted  Riviera 
casinos,  the  ''Y"  conducted  the  famous  St.  Malo  Casino,  the 
High  Life  Casino  at  Dinard,  that  glittering  spot  far-famed 
as  the  "Nice  of  the  North,"  and  the  casino  at  Bagneres- 
de-Luchon,  the  finest  in  the  Pyrenees.  Others  leased  were 
at  Challes-les-Eaux,  Lamalou-les-Bains,  Eaux  Bonnes,  Gre- 
noble, La  Bourboule,  and  Cauterets.  At  Cauterets  the 
capacity  of  the  big  casino  was  so  taxed  by  the  large  number 
of  permissionnaires  sent  on  leave  to  the  Pyrenees  that  it 
was  augmented  by  the  rental  of  a  smaller  place  near  by — 
the  Casino  des  Oeufs. 


188  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

In  the  resorts  of  lesser  magnitude  where  there  were  no 
casinos,  the  theatres  afforded  the  principal  amusement. 
These  the  ''Y"  rented,  as  at  Nimes,  where  the  Grand  Munic- 
ipal Theatre,  and  at  Annecy  where  the  Theatre  Municipal 
were  taken  over  in  lieu  of  casinos.  And  here  the  American 
actors  were  hailed  by  the  crowds.  When  the  Brittany 
coast  area  was  opened  at  St.  Malo,  its  famous  casino  was 
in  use  as  a  French  military  hospital.  Until  the  French 
Medical  Corps  could  find  other  quarters  for  its  patients  in 
order  to  accommodate  its  American  allies,  the  mimicipal 
theatre  was  rented  for  soldier  entertainments.  Of  course 
the  great  St.  Malo  Casino  was  vastly  preferable  to  any 
theatre,  because  of  the  unusual  combination  it  offered  in 
recreational  facilities.  Under  its  roof  were  a  beautiful 
theatre,  dining  rooms,  and  dancing  halls,  besides  the  big 
bath  house  on  the  beach,  the  Hotel  Jacques  Cartier,  and 
other  hostelries  which  went  with  the  lease. 

At  some  resorts  there  were  hotels  with  small  concert 
halls  or  there  were  storage  buildings  in  which  a  proscenium 
arch  could  be  improvised.  When  Biarritz  was  opened  in 
February,  1919,  the  casino  owners  were  fearful  lest  any 
lease  might  cut  into  their  profits  of  the  approaching  season. 
So  at  much  pains  and  no  little  expense  the  building  of  the 
Syndicated  Initiative,  an  exhibition  building,  was  taken 
over.  An  ample  stage  was  erected  to  suit  the  require- 
ments of  almost  all  the  shows  and  movies  routed  through 
the  place. 

At  Chambery,  the  Apartement  du  Boigne  was  the  oniy 
available  place  in  town  besides  the  Chambery  Club.  So 
the  entertainment  program  there  was  largely  confined  to 
the  screen  and  smaller  productions.  The  ground  floor  of 
the  Hotel  Majestic  at  Chamonix  was  made  to  fill  all  needs. 
Cinema  halls  and  concert  rooms  with  small  stages  and 
limited  seating  capacities  were  equipped  in  the  OflScers' 
and  Enlisted  Men's  Clubs  at  Nancy  and  in  the  building  of 
the  famous  Nancy  Thermal  Baths. 


e^^o 


@  j^^^-^^,^  r. 


"S  ui  •-*  *^ 
§   I    «^1I 

<D   O 


FAMOUS  CASINOS   IN  A  NEW  ROLE  189 

When  the  Stars  and  Stripes  crossed  the  Rhine  in  Decem- 
ber, 1918,  the  Red  Triangle  went  along — or,  rather,  tried 
to  be  there  in  advance  to  receive  the  troops.  In  response 
to  a  request  from  General  Dickman,  sent  through  W.  W. 
Gethmann,  the  chief  secretary  with  the  Third  Army, 
Mr.  Edmonds  and  the  late  George  W.  Perkins  hastened 
to  Coblenz  for  a  conference  regarding  the  establishment 
of  leave  centers  and  entertainment  at  five  of  the  principal 
points  in  the  zone  of  American  occupation. 

Nine  complete  divisions  comprised  the  United  States 
forces  in  Germany.  Having  just  finished  a  strenuous 
campaign  which  closed  the  War,  General  Dickman  and 
his  commanding  officers  felt  that  the  men  were  in  real 
need  of  relaxation  of  the  proper  sort.  An  universal  opinion 
prevailed  that  inasmuch  as  these  were  all  combat  divisions, 
the  best  was  none  too  good  for  them.  The  officers,  too, 
felt  concern  for  their  men  lest  if  proper  diversion  was  not 
provided  the  enemy  might  make  insidious  overtures  to 
fraternize.    Entertainment  was  vitally  important. 

At  once  the  great  Fest  Halle  and  the  Leseverein  Theatre 
at  Coblenz  and  the  big  Kurhaus  at  Neuenahr  were  taken 
over.  The  Casino  at  Andemach  was  converted  into  a 
soldiers'  club,  and  to  entertain  its  overflow  two  movies 
a  day  were  run  at  the  Hotel  Dahlmann.  At  Neuwied, 
the  Hotel  HohenzoUern  was  turned  into  a  cinema  hall, 
patronized  by  the  crowds  that  poured  into  that  center  on 
leave.  All  these  amusement  places  seated  great  numbers. 
The  Neuenahr  Kurhaus  easily  accommodated  2,500,  while 
the  Coblenz  Fest  Halle  was  much  larger.  On  its  first  floor 
was  a  small  stage  for  concerts  and  there  was  a  large  con- 
cert hall  with  a  splendid  organ  on  the  second,  where  evening 
gatherings  were  held.  It  was  soon  found  that  this  stage 
was  too  small  for  both  professional  and  soldier  talent 
troupes,  so  under  Tony  Hunting  a  large,  finely  equipped 
stage  was  erected  which  accommodated  the  biggest  pro- 
ductions.   The  Gemeinde  Haus,  renamed  the  Little  Play- 


190  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

house,   was  rented   later   for  rehearsals   of  soldier  shows 
during  the  day  and  professional  vaudeville  at  night. 


Paris  became  after  the  Armistice  the  American's  Mecca. 
It  was  a  herculean  task  to  keep  the  boys  properly  enter- 
tained during  this  American  invasion.  Many  thousands 
pressed  in  to  the  city  daily.  Extensive  plans  were  launched 
forthwith  for  their  diversion.  The  Theatre  Albert  Premier, 
with  only  a  seating  capacity  of  700,  which  had  been  used 
for  various  theatrical  productions,  was  now  found  entirely 
too  small  for  growing  demands.  So  the  Palais  de  Glace 
was  taken  over.  This  was  one  of  the  biggest  single  ven- 
tures. In  addition  to  its  theatre,  accommodating  4,000 
seated  and  1,000  more  standing,  it  served  as  a  clubhouse 
and  canteen  for  men  and  women  in  any  of  the  uniforms 
of  the  Allied  nations.  Over  1,000,000  persons,  mostly 
soldiers,  were  entertained  here.  There  was  a  constant 
stream  of  distinguished  guests — among  them  were  Pres- 
ident Wilson,  Ambassador  Sharp,  General  Pershing,  Premier 
Lloyd  George,  Secretary  Daniels,  and  Samuel  Gompers. 
During  its  period  of  operation,  from  March  31  to  June  30, 
1919,  its  wet  canteen  served  more  than  675,000.  Over 
200  theatrical  performances  were  given  during  the  time, 
and  thirteen  cinema  shows  were  run  every  week.  Noted 
actors  and  A.  E.  F.  boxing  champions  appeared  on  its 
stage.  Homer  Rodeheaver  and  other  religious  leaders 
conducted  services  on  Sundays.  Its  closing  program  on 
the  night  of  June  30,  1919,  was  an  all-star  vaudeville  bill. 
The  feature  number  was  the  song  "America  to  France" 
dedicated  to  Marshal  Foch.  It  was  written  by  Henry 
Hadley,  with  words  by  Louise  Ayers  Garnett,  and  sung 
by  Ida  Brooks  Hunt  who  had  sung  ''My  Hero"  in  the 
original  production  of  "The  Chocolate  Soldier." 

Another  of  the  mammoth  Parisian  playhouses  conducted 
by  the  Entertainment  Department  was  the  Theatre  des 


FAMOUS  CASINOS   IN  A  NEW  ROLE  191 

Champs-Elysees,  one  of  the  most  elegant  in  appointments 
on  the  Continent.  New,  spacious,  and  elaborate,  it  was 
richly  decorated  and  upholstered  and  had  a  comfortable 
seating  capacity  of  4,000.  The  stage  was  so  large  that 
an  ordinary  company  was  obliged  to  bring  its  settings 
away  ''down  stage."  For  the  large  musical  show  it  was 
ideal,  and  for  general  equipment  it  was  unsurpassed.  It 
delighted  the  A.  E.  F.  chorus  "girls"  who  complained  that 
other  surroundings  cramped  their  style.  The  opening  per- 
formance was  a  gala  night — "A  Buck  on  Leave"  earning 
the  sobriquet  of  "the  big  Winter  Garden  Show  of  France," 
with  seventy-five  American  soldiers  in  the  company,  fifty 
in  the  band,  and  an  orchestra  of  thirty.  It  was  put  on 
by  the  Motor  Transport  Reconstruction  Park  of  Vemeuil. 
The  next  attractions  were  "The  G.  H.  Q.  Players  of  Chau- 
mont,"  "The  Merry  Makers"  and  "The  Ordnance  Review." 

The  Cirque  de  Paris  capped  the  climax  so  far  as  accom- 
modations were  concerned.  Its  seating  capacity  of  6,000 
was  increased  to  8,000,  entertaining  in  two  performances 
15,000  men  a  day.  The  stage  was  equipped  with  facilities 
for  large  and  small  productions.  There  was  also  a  regu- 
lation boxing  ring  besides  many  rest  rooms.  With  the 
seating  capacities  of  all  the  amusement  places  under  the 
management  in  Paris,  including  the  Hotel  Pavilion  with 
its  450  chairs  in  its  concert  hall,  about  25,000  soldiers  were 
entertained  every  day  between  March  31  and  June  30,  1919. 

At  various  other  points  theatres  were  taken  over,  espe- 
cially at  Chaumont,  Tours,  Le  Mans,  and  Treves.  All  were 
fairly  well  equipped  with  curtains,  lights,  scenery,  and 
commodious  auditoriums.  At  Toul  the  municipal  theatre 
was  engaged  and  outfitted  and  it  made  a  splendid  show 
house  for  the  Second  Army  productions.  The  Trianon 
Theatre  at  Tours  gave  long  and  valuable  service,  housing 
at  different  times  every  important  A.  E.  F.  attraction. 

The  largest  theatre  in  France  under  the  control  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  one  it  constructed 


192  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

itself,  the  Victory  Theatre,  at  Bordeaux.  It  covered  three 
acres  of  ground  in  the  Embarkation  Camp  and  could  be 
seen  for  miles.  Besides  a  large  stage  and  auditorium  with 
boxes  and  graduated  seats,  there  was  a  huge  dancing  floor. 
The  equipment  included  eleven  dressing  rooms,  four  flood- 
lights, two  spotlights,  numerous  ''sets,"  and  a  curtain  on 
which  was  painted  the  most  colossal  eagle  in  France,  the 
work  of  Lieutenant  Robinson.  Franklin  Hall  was  another 
theatre  in  Bordeaux. 

The  large  municipal  theatre  at  Le  Mans  was  secured 
whenever  there  were  no  French  shows  billed.  There  were 
regular  performances  there,  too,  at  the  Salle  des  Concerts. 
At  Antwerp,  the  Theatre  des  Variet^s  was  transformed 
into  an  American  amusement  place,  which  was  operated 
under  the  supervision  of  Captain  Donovan,  entertainment 
officer  for  the  area  embracing  Antwerp,  Brussels,  the  Hague, 
Rotterdam,  and  Apa.  Here  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
furnished  the  theatre,  the  Y  M  C  A  the  entertainment  and 
costuming,  and  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board  the  orchestra. 

The  greater  part  of  the  entertainment  work  in  Italy  was 
carried  on  in  hospitals.  A  few  theatres  were  rented  such 
as  the  playhouse  at  Treviso,  the  Teatro  Sociale  di  Palazzola 
sull  'Oglio,  the  Teatro  Politeama  di  Como,  the  Teatro 
Politeama  di  Monza,  and  the  Teatro  Lirico — all  in  Milan. 
A  medieval  palace  in  Florence  containing  a  private  theatre 
was  probably  the  most  pretentious  place  taken  in  Italy. 
Near  Bologna,  Castel  Maggiore  was  rented  for  enter- 
tainments. 


The  actor  in  the  World  War  was  always  on  duty:  his 
''cue"  was  twenty-four  hours  a  day  wherever  the  dough- 
boy "called"  him;  and  his  theatre  was  wherever  he  could 
find  an  audience  from  front  line  trench  and  dugout  to 
some  of  the  finest  houses  in  Europe. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

ENTERTAINMENT  IN  CAMPS  AT  HOME 

*'You  shall  have  better  cheer 
Ere  you  depart;  and  thanks  to  stay  and  eat  itJ^ 

Cymbeline. 

Let  us  now  review  the  reserve  army  of  entertainers  who 
were  holding  the  ''fort"  back  home  in  America. 

More  than  half  the  American  soldiers  called  to  the 
colors  never  left  our  shores.  Nearly  3,000,000  men,  whose 
service  stripes  are  of  silver,  share  the  honor  in  which  America 
holds  all  who  donned  the  olive  drab.  So  among  the  enter- 
tainers it  is  estimated  that  more  than  20,000  actors,  pro- 
fessional and  semi-professional,  with  lyceum  workers,  sing- 
ers, and  amateur  entertainers,  appeared  before  the  soldiers 
in  American  camps. 

The  need  of  entertaining  the  Army  at  home  was  almost 
equal  to  that  in  France — and  the  American  stage  rallied 
to  the  home  service.  It  must  be  remembered  that  every 
soldier,  whether  he  went  across  or  not,  spent  some  time 
in  one  of  the  thirty-two  cantonments.  The  whole  Army, 
5,000,000  strong,  passed  through  these  camps.  This  called 
for  a  volume  of  entertainment — an  army  of  artists,  singers, 
and  actors — exceeding  the  numbers  needed  overseas.  If 
there  was  drudgery  in  France,  there  was  also  novelty; 
if  there  was  discomfort  and  danger,  there  was  also  excite- 
ment and  activity.  It  may  be  doubted  if  any  man  was 
ever  more  homesick  in  France  than  he  was  in  those  first 
days  when,  fresh  from  the  comfort  of  home,  he  was  thrown 
into  the  roughness  of  training  camp  life.  The  process  of 
reshaping  American  individualism  into  a  harmonious  unit, 
of  adjusting  widely  differing  personalities  into  a  disciplined, 
smoothly  working  machine,  was  not  accomplished  without 

193 


194  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

painful  experiences.     The  best  medicine  was  a  good  laugh, 
a  clean  hour  of  distraction  and  forgetfulness. 

In  these  American  camps  we  find  thousands  who  volun- 
teered at  the  historic  Palace  Theatre  meeting  when  the 
Over  There  Theatre  League  was  organized  and  who,  un- 
able to  get  overseas  because  of  restrictions,  limitations, 
contractual  obligations,  or  other  obstructions,  literally 
invaded  the  American  camps — still  eagerly  waiting  for  the 
opportunity  to  go  abroad  with  the  soldiers. 
"Come  and  hear  Madam  Schumann-Heink.'' 
"Madam  Louise  Homer  will  sing  at  the  Big  Y  tonight." 
"Free  concert  by  the  New  York  Clef  Club  Orchestra." 
That  was  the  sort  of  invitation  extended  night  after 
night  to  the  boys  in  the  home  camps.  It  was  possible  be- 
cause the  greatest  artists  of  the  American  stage  and  con- 
cert would  give  their  time  and  talents  freely  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  the  Army.  The  roll  would  fill  this  volume 
and  make  of  it  a  catalogue  and  directory  of  the  profession. 
Think  of  any  form  of  entertainment  you  like — it  was 
given  by  its  foremost  exponents  before  soldier  audiences. 
Vaudeville,  in  all  its  variety  of  monologue,  dance,  sketch, 
acrobatics,  juggling,  tight  and  slack  rope  dancing;  opera 
and  concert;  musical  comedy  and  farce;  instrumental 
music  of  every  sort  from  the  soloists  to  the  greatest  bands 
and  orchestras — whatever  the  American  public  has  stamped 
with  its  approval  by  crowding  the  theatres  of  America, 
that  the  soldiers  of  America  saw  in  the  great  auditoriums 
or  in  the  huts  of  the  welfare  societies  scattered  through 
the  camps. 

The  list  is  endless.  Nothing  wa.s  too  good  to  show  be- 
fore the  soldiers.  Mischa  Elman  and  his  magic  violin, 
Harry  Lauder,  David  Bispham,  Evan  Williams,  Reinald 
Werrenrath,  Freda  Hempel,  Nora  Bayes,  Irving  Fisher, 
Richard  Carle,  Grace  Van  Studdiford,  Maud  Powell,  Andrew 
Mack,  Maude  Adams,  Jefferson  de  Angelis,  are  only  a  few 
of  the  names  which  come  to  mind.    The  Coburn  Players, 


ENTERTAINMENT  IN  CAMPS  AT  HOME  19g 

the  New  York  Symphony  Orchestra,  and  the  New  York 
Philharmonic  Orchestra  were  some  of  the  organizations 
whose  names  are  famihar.  The  French  Veterans'  Band, 
every  one  of  whom  had  seen  active  service  and  most  of 
whom  had  been  wounded  and  decorated,  was  brought  to 
America  and  toured  the  cantonments,  financed  and  routed 
by  the  ''Yr 

The  places  for  entertainment  comprised  an  immense 
variety  of  buildings  and  improvised  stages  out  of  doors. 
There  were  the  great  Liberty  Theatres,  thirty-two  of  them, 
erected  by  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities. 
In  these,  metropolitan  successes  were  booked.  Bookings  for 
the  Liberty  Theatre  at  Camp  Dix  during  the  month  of 
February,  1918,  included  William  Courtenay  and  Thomas 
A.  Wise  in  "General  Post"  from  the  Gaiety  Theatre,  New 
York;  the  Liberty  Comedy  Company  in  "Baby  Mine," 
and  "Kick  In,"  "Flora  Bella,"  "The  Beauty  Shop,"  "Fair 
and  Warmer,"  "Turn  to  the  Right,"  "Princess  Pat," 
"Daddy  Longlegs,"  "Prince  of  Pilsen,"  and  "Mary's 
Ankle."  For  these  shows  the  Commission  fixed  a  nom- 
inal charge  of  twenty-five  and  fifty  cents. 

Then  there  were  the  big  "Y"  auditoriums  seating  several 
thousands,  designed  like  the  Liberty  Theatres,  for  audi- 
ences drawn  from  the  whole  camp.  Here  great  concerts 
were  given  by  artists  of  international  fame.  The  Phila- 
delphia Orchestra,  the  New  York  Clef  Club  Orchestra, 
The  Elsa  Fischer  String  Quartet,  and  the  Edna  White 
Trumpet  Quartet  were  among  the  organizations  which 
were  thoroughly  enjoyed  and  appreciated,  while  a  number 
of  university  glee  clubs,  and  such  organizations  as  the 
Tuskegee  Singers  and  the  Fisk  University  Jubilee  Singers 
gave  their  always  popular  programs. 

In  many  camps  what  was  called  "the  outdoor  Y"  was 
added  to  the  big  auditorium.  This  was  usually  a  stage 
so  arranged  that  thousands  of  men  could  gather  about 
it  on  all  sides.    It  served  equally  well  for  a  boxing  match. 


196  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

an  acrobatic  exhibition,  a  speech,  or  a  concert.  With  a 
booth  erected  for  the  movie  machine,  and  with  a  screen 
of  boughs  and  flags  along  one  side  for  a  background,  it 
enabled  larger  audiences  to  watch  the  pictures  or  a  vaude- 
ville program  than  could  be  gathered  in  any  building. 

At  Camp  Sheridan,  an  old  state  fair  ground  auditorium 
known  as  the  Buckeye  Coliseum  was  repaired  and  used 
for  entertainment.  This  was  capable  of  accommodating 
12,000  men,  and  ex-President  Taft  addressed  there  a  crowd 
that  filled  the  building.  This  is  but  a  sample  of  the  audi- 
diences  that  were  addressed  by  Mr.  Taft  at  other  canton- 
ments. Under  the  auspices  of  the  ^^Y"  he  visited  all  but 
two  of  the  cantonments  in  America,  addressing  a  total  of 
over  300,000  men.  He  presented  before  his  soldier  audi- 
ences the  case  of  America  vs.  Germany  from  the  standpoint 
of  an  international  lawyer,  presenting  both  sides  of  the 
case  and  drawing  his  conclusion  so  that  there  could  be  no 
possible  doubt  in  the  minds  of  his  audience  of  the  justice 
of  their  cause. 

Just  as  space  does  not  permit  mention  of  all  who  enter- 
tained in  the  camps,  so  the  names  of  the  many  organiza- 
tions and  individuals  who  arranged  bookings,  got  together 
troupes,  and  conducted  parties  of  entertainers  to  the 
camps  far  outrun  the  possibility  of  adequate  record.  Mr. 
John  D.  Sullivan  of  the  United  Booking  Office,  New  York, 
the  manager  of  the  Keith  Orpheum  Circuit,  Mother  Davison, 
Amelia  Bingham,  Sophie  Tucker,  The  Stage  Women's 
War  Relief,  the  New  York  Mayor's  Committee  of  Women, 
and  many  others  in  every  part  of  the  country  will  be  long 
remembered  for  such  services.  Mr.  Charles  D.  Isaacson, 
of  the  New  York  Globe,  served  faithfully  and  persistently 
in  providing  concert  parties  of  the  highest  quality,  and 
what  he  saw  of  the  response  of  the  men  as  he  went  from 
camp  to  camp  led  him  to  predict  again  and  again  that  the 
War  would  develop  an  appreciation  of  music  such  as  Amer- 
ica had  never  known. 


ENTERTAINMENT  IN  CAMPS  AT  HOME  197 

The  Stage  Women's  War  Relief  extended  a  service  that 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  soldiers.  Here  we  find  serving 
the  Army  such  distinguished  artists  as  Rachel  Crothers, 
Elizabeth  Tyree  Metcalf,  Louise  Closser  Hale,  Dorothy 
Donnelly,  May  Kirkpatrick,  Mrs.  Shelley  Hull,  and  Minnie 
Dupree.  Here,  too,  in  our  American  war  relief  we  find 
Blanche  Bates,  Jessie  Bonstelle,  May  Buckley,  Bijou 
Fernandez,  Mrs.  Joseph  Grismer,  Gladys  Hanson,  Florence 
Nash,  Mrs.  Chauncey  Olcott.  There  are  also  Mrs.  Otis 
Skinner,  traveling  from  camp  to  camp;  Chrystal  Heme 
directing  the  work  in  New  York;  Mrs.  Walter  Vincent 
recruiting  the  vaudeville  world;  Mrs.  William  Famimi 
recruiting  the  cinema  stars;  Fanny  Cannon  in  charge  of 
soldiers'  welfare;  Mrs.  Daisy  Humphreys  directing  pub- 
licity; Felice  Morris  as  executive  secretary;  Anna  L.  Faller 
as  auditor;  and  Mrs.  Eula  S.  Garrison  as  manager  of  all 
camp  entertainments.  Here,  also,  we  greet  Mary  Boland 
and  Carol  McComas,  Florence  Gerrish,  Virginia  Fox 
Brooks,  Lillian  Albertson,  Margaret  Dale,  Georgia  Caine 
Hudson,  and  Hope  Latham  Keniper — every  name  men- 
tioned being  an  officer  of  this  vast  organization,  the  rank 
and  file  of  which  enrolled  practically  every  stage  woman 
in  America. 

''We  gave  1,430  shows  and  entertained  in  more  than  1,000 
wards  in  hospitals,"  says  Mrs.  Garrison.  "We  played  in 
61  different  hospitals,  58  camps  and  training  stations, 
67  clubs  and  service  houses,  and  on  14  battleships.  We 
cooperated  with  the  Y  M  C  A  and  every  organization — 
the  Red  Cross,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Jewish  Welfare, 
War  Camp  Community  Service,  and  Salvation  Army — 
and  with  individuals." 


No  profession  was  more  largely  represented  in  the  Army 
itself  than  the  theatrical.  In  the  very  first  days,  when 
entertainment  was  wholly  impromptu,  men  would  be  dis- 


198  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

covered  in  almost  every  audience  who  could  do  ji  song, 
dance,  or  monologue  with  all  the  finish  of  the  experienced 
performer.  As  one  entertainment  director  described  it: 
"The  hall  would  fill  up  after  the  evening  mess  and  some- 
thing had  to  be  done  to  entertain  the  boys.  We  would 
get  a  pianist  somewhere,  I  would  usually  start  with  a  few 
songs,  and  then  the  performers  would  be  dragged,  pushed, 
or  lifted  on  to  the  stage  by  their  buddies.  Everybody 
was  goodnatured  and  all  seemed  to  enjoy  the  evening 
whether  the  show  was  good  or  not,  and  usually  it  was 
surprisingly  good.'' 

Men  were  found  who  were  experiencied  in  producing 
plays,  canvasses  were  made  to  discover  soldiers  who  had 
dramatic  talent  or  experience,  and  elaborate  plays  were 
written,  staged,  and  produced  before  enthusiastic  audiences. 
At  Camp  Dix  Mr.  Leopold  Lane,  legitimate  and  movie 
actor,  had  charge  of  entertainment.  The  first  play  was 
a  one-act  comedy  "One  Hundred  Dollars  Reward,''  written 
by  Private  Roland  Southerland,  1st  N.  Y.  Field  Artillery 
and  presented  by  Company  A.  311  Infantry,  October  29, 
1918.  This  was  quickly  followed  by  "My  Turn  Next" 
presented  by  Company  E  of  the  311th.  Numerous  others 
followed,  among  them  "You'll  Like  It,"  with  a  cast  in- 
cluding Private  William  Sully  formerly  of  the  Ziegfeld 
Follies,  Jack  de  Graff  well  known  in  musical  comedy, 
Eddie  Flynn  from  the  vaudeville  stage,  and  several  others 
familiar  to  Broadway. 

At  Camp  Upton,  the  well-known  song  writer  Sergeant 
Irving  Berlin  produced  "Yip  Yip  Yaphank,"  which  not 
only  scored  a  hit  in  camp,  but  was  eventually  produced  on 
Broadway  with  great  success  by  its  soldier  cast.  At  Camp 
Zachary  Taylor,  Foxall  Daingerfield  organized  and  trained 
the  "Soldier  Players,"  who  not  only  toured  the  huts  of 
the  camp,  but  were  sent  on  tours  through  several  states 
by  the  Government,  in  connection  with  the  Liberty  Loan 
drives.     At    Camp    Shelby   the    "Thirty-Eighth    Division 


ENTERTAINMENT  IN  CAMPS  AT  HOME  199 

Players"  were  organized  and  directed  by  Marston  Allen, 
and  at  Camp  Gordon  the  ''Army  Entertainers'  Ijeague," 
at  one  time  numbering  more  than  150  men,  gave  high  class 
vaudeville  in  all  parts  of  the  camp.  At  Camp  Sherman, 
for  four  months,  the  Ohio  Federation  of  Musical  Clubs 
furnished  the  entertainment.  Chambers  of  Commerce, 
Rotary  Clubs,  and  other  organizations  did  their  part, 
and  hardly  a  city  or  town  within  a  half  day's  journey  of 
one  of  the  big  cantonments  or  smaller  camps  could  be 
found  without  some  organization  or  individual  who  had 
assumed  responsibility  for  securing  talent  for  shows  or 
concerts. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  there  were  no  difficulties.  It 
took  strenuous  days  and  nights  on  the  part  of  those  re- 
sponsible to  keep  the  stream  flowing  smoothly  so  that 
every  point  would  be  regularly  served.  Many  a  cold  ride 
in  street  car  or  automobile  was  taken  by  performers,  to 
keep  engagements  in  out-of-the-way  places.  Sometimes 
the  eagerness  of  soldiers  for  more,  and  ever  more,  put  a 
severe  strain  upon  endurance.  During  the  quarantine  at 
Camp  Dix,  on  a  single  evening  one  group  of  vaudevillians 
repeated  their  thirty-minute  sketch  seven  times  at  different 
barracks,  and  the  Orpheus  Quartet  sang  more  than 
eighty  selections.  This  record  was  soon  passed  by  another 
group  of  singers  who  gave  ninety  songs  in  one  day. 

Opportunities  for  heroism,  mounting  even  to  the  last 
full  measure  of  devotion,  presented  themselves.  At  Camp 
Lewis,  two  members  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  Quartet, 
Misses  Linnie  Love  and  Lorna  Lea,  arrived  for  a  return 
engagement  just  as  the  camp  was  going  under  quarantine 
for  influenza.  Both  girls  volunteered  to  remain  and  undergo 
quarantine  for  the  sake  of  entertaining  the  men.  As  a 
result  of  overwork  and  exposure,  both  were  stricken  with 
the  disease  and  taken  to  the  hospital.  Miss  Lea  recovered, 
but  Miss  Love  was  so  exhausted  by  her  untiring  efforts 
that  she  rapidly  failed  and  died  in  the  hospital,  the  only 


200  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

worker  with  the  Y  M  C  A  who  died  as  a  result  of  the  epi- 
demic in  that  camp.  No  braver  or  more  loyal  heart  ever 
went  over  the  top  in  France. 

There  was  an  informality  and  personal  exchange  be- 
tween artist  and  audience  such  as  never  could  be  possible 
under  other  conditions.  Again  and  again  the  entertainers 
stayed  for  greetings  after  the  show,  and  the  shout  would 
rise,  "No  seconds,  boys.  You  can't  shake  hands  but  once,'' 
as  enthusiasts  tried  to  slip  into  the  line  for  a  second  greet- 
ing. When  Sue  Harvard,  singing  for  the  first  time  ''Have 
You  Seen  Them  in  France?"  ended  by  throwing  copies  of 
the  song,  with  a  package  of  Bull  Durham  attached  to 
each,  among  the  audience,  there  was  a  small  riot.  Often 
the  camp  songleader  would  spring  to  the  platform  at  the 
end  of  a  concert  and  say,  ''Shall  we  sing  a  couple  of  songs 
to  entertain  our  entertainer?"  Choruses  would  rise  in 
"The  Long  Trail"  and  "Over  There,"  until  the  artist 
whose  voice  had  held  thousands  spellbound  confessed  that 
she  had  received  more  than  she  had  given. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

SINGING  THEIR  WAY  TO  VICTORY 

^'The  man  that  hath  no  music  in  himself 
Nor  is  not  moved  with  concord  of  sweet  sounds j 
Is  Jit  for  treasons,  stratagems,  and  spoils  J' 

The  Merchant  of  Venice. 

America  has  never  been  a  singing  nation,  yet  in  each 
great  national  emergency  songs  have  appeared  that  in 
words,  melody,  and  rhythm  expressed  the  emotion  of  the 
time.  No  one  who  has  heard  the  veterans  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  sing  their  songs  has  failed  to  realize 
what  those  songs  meant  to  another  generation.  The  great 
drawback  in  those  songs  was  that  they  were  sectional 
and  tended  to  sharpen  memories  which  should  be  softened 
with  the  passing  of  time. 

The  Spanish-American  War  was  too  short  to  develop 
a  mass  of  songs,  as  true  folk  songs  are  the  product  of  time. 
"Hail,  Hail,  the  Gang's  All  Here,"  and  "There'll  Be  a  Hot 
Time  in  the  Old  Town  Tonight"  had  all  the  care-free 
enthusiasm  of  American  youth  volunteering  for  an  adven- 
ture. "The  Blue  and  the  Gray"  indicated  the  end  of 
sectionalism  for  a  new  generation.  The  one  song  which 
came  out  of  the  Spanish-American  War  as  a  national 
song  was  old  when  that  war  began,  but  "Dixie"  is  un- 
questionably the  most  popular  song  in  America  today. 
The  interim  between  the  Spanish-American  War  and  the 
Great  War  did  not  produce  a  single  addition  to  our  folk  songs. 

While  the  Anglo-Saxon  stock  and  traditions  are  pre- 
dominant with  us,  the  growth  of  our  great  cities,  with  their 
colonies  of  foreign  blood  not  fully  Americanized,  has  hin- 
dered the  development  of  an  art  form  so  dependent  on 

201 


202  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

common  standards  as  the  folk  song  and  folk  singing.  Be- 
fore the  Great  War  this  was  recognized  by  a  few  musicians 
and  attempts  had  been  made  to  promote  block  parties  and 
commmiity  singing.  Tentative  efforts  had  also  been  made 
at  sing-songs  in  the  Plattsburg  camps  organized  before 
we  went  into  the  War.  It  was  here  that  the  first  new  song 
appeared — 'The  Last  Long  Mile'' — of  all  those  which 
came  to  express  the  various  feelings  and  emotions  of  Amer- 
ica's soldiers  in  the  camps  at  home  and  overseas.  George 
M.  Cohan's  vigorous  march  song,  ''Over  There,"  was 
even  more  popular  with  the  public  outside  the  canton- 
ments, and  both  were  constantly  used  by  the  soldiers  at 
home  and  overseas. 

The  French  had  a  single  song,  the  melody  of  which  was 
so  inflammatory  that  prior  to  the  Great  War  it  had  become 
the  song  of  insurrection  and  anarchy  all  over  Europe. 
It  was  then  known  as  "The  International"  but  the  essen- 
tial part,  the  fiery  melody,  had  a  century  before  been  sung 
by  "Marseillaise  Battalion"  when  it  toiled  northward  toward 
Paris  to  hearten  the  sinking  spirits  of  those  who  were 
struggling  for  a  new  repubUc.  The  Marseillaise  has  always 
been  dangerous  to  the  enemies  of  freedom  and  liberty. 
It  was  sung  by  all  the  AlUed  Armies  in  France  more 
generally  than  any  other  song. 

There  were  other  songs,  not  so  powerful,  which  were 
heard  by  all  Americans  overseas.  The  whole  French 
nation  sang  the  fine  old  song,  "Chant  de  Depart,"  the 
greatest  bond  between  the  glorious  men  of  France  who 
went  to  the  front  and  the  bereaved  country  which  sent 
them.  Then  there  was  the  most  romantic  of  all  the  Na- 
poleonic marching  songs,  "Le  Reve  Passee,"  and  the  present- 
day  song  "Verdun,"  which  sets  the  phrase  "They  shall 
not  pass"  to  music  for  generations  of  French  to  come. 
One  new  song  our  overseas  Army  brought  back  as  charac- 
teristic of  the  France  they  knew.  Naughty  and  philander- 
ing, brave  and  sacrificial,  with  a  rush  of  wondrous  marching 


SINGING   THEIR   WAY   TO   VICTORY  203 

meter,  ^^Madelon"  was  the  most  generally  popular  of 
all  the  new  war  songs.  With  its  French  words  and  a  half 
dozen  English  versions,  "Madelon"  became  as  familiar  to 
the  Americans  as  any  of  their  own  songs. 

The  Americans  had  little  chance  to  hear  or  learn  the 
British  songs  aside  from  'Tipperary,"  which  had  become 
well  known  long  before  we  went  into  the  War  and  went 
straight  to  the  heart  of  every  city  man  whether  he  had 
ever  before  heard  of  Piccadilly  or  Leicester  Square  or  not. 
Later,  the  Americans  took  up  ^^Blighty,'^  "I  Want  to  Go 
Home,^'  and  "Keep  Your  Head  Down,  Fritzy  Boy." 


When  the  great  training  camps  began  to  be  organized, 
it  was  decided  to  have  a  singing  member  on  each  of  the 
''Y"  staffs,  a  policy  which  was  adopted  after  careful  investi- 
gation and  in  accord  with  the  wishes  of  Mr.  Lee  F.  Hamner 
of  the  Fosdick  Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities. 
The  early  song  leaders  were  highly  trained  musicians, 
whose  professional  efficiency  made  unnecessary  any  special 
training  for  their  new  work.  The  intention  was  to  send 
a  singing  army  to  France  and  keep  it  a  singing  army.  Mr. 
Marshall  Bartholomew,  a  trained  musician,  who  had  been 
in  prisoner-of-war  work  overseas,  was  placed  in  charge  at 
New  York  Headquarters.  Professor  Harold  C.  Knapp  of 
Northwestern  University  prepared  a  list  of  songs  and 
music  to  be  used  by  the  American  Army.  Mr.  Robert 
Lawrence  was  at  the  head  of  the  classes  for  musical  leader- 
ship at  the  Columbia  University  conferences  held  in  New 
^  York  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1918  and  all  prospec- 
tive overseas  workers  were  given  daily  drills  in  singing. 
The  methods  developed  at  New  York  Headquarters  were 
used  in  the  five  other  training  schools,  the  intention  being 
to  produce  a  standardized  method  of  song  leadership  for 
a  limited  list  of  the  best  known  hymns,  patriotic  and  senti- 
mental songs. 


204  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

General  Pershing,  in  speaking  of  the  most  inspiring 
moments  in  the  War,  once  remarked:  ''I  think  they  were 
when  I  heard  my  Army  singing/'  From  that  historic  mo- 
ment when  General  Pershing,  with  his  First  American 
Expeditionary  Forces,  stepped  on  French  soil,  and  the 
strains  of  'The  Star-Spangled  Banner"  greeted  them, 
throughout  their  months  in  France  until  they  embarked 
for  home  a  victorious  army,  the  Americans  sang  their  way 
through  the  War. 

"Keep  the  Army  singing!"  This  was  the  constant  order, 
not  only  from  General  Pershing  in  France  but  from  Gen- 
eral March  throughout  the  army  camps  in  America.  It 
is  recognized  by  the  ablest  military  minds  that  song  is 
one  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  warfare;  and  how  they 
did  keep  the  men  singing!  More  than  200  song  leaders 
were  sent  overseas,  more  than  1,000  athletic  directors 
were  trained  as  song  leaders,  and  every  one  of  the  25,000 
workers  ''got  the  boys  to  singing"  whenever  the  oppor- 
tunity occurred.  These  song  leaders  followed  the  Army 
into  Italy,  Germany,  Russia,  Siberia — they  actually  fol- 
lowed the  Stars  and  Stripes  around  the  world. 

So  great  was  this  sing-song  campaign  that  printing 
presses  in  America,  England,  France,  and  wherever  they 
could  be  secured  in  Europe,  were  humming  off  songbooks 
and  song  leaflets  by  the  millions  for  distribution  to  the 
Army.  It  would  probably  be  difficult  to  find  a  doughboy 
who  did  not  at  sometime  carry  one  of  these  songbooks  in 
his  khaki  pocket.  A  bag  of  "makings"  and  a  soiled  copy  of 
the  paper-covered  "Popular  Songs  of  the  A.  E.  F."  bearing 
the  slogan,  "Give  me  the  man  who  goes  into  battle 
with  a  song  in  his  heart,"  were  like  Captain  Kidd's 
treasures  to  the  doughboy.  This  songbook,  sent  out  along 
the  front  by  the  A.  E.  F.-Y  MCA,  carried  the  words  of 
143  popular  songs  with  the  message:  "It's  the  songs 
we  sing  and  the  smiles  we  wear  that  make  the  sunshine 
everywhere." 


--A 


vl- 


^NTg:i;)TAiNF:\x5 


When  for  weeks  you've  had  performances  morning,  noon,  and  night,  and 
at  last  comes  an  afternoon  with  nothing  to  do  but  three  weeks'  laundry,  a  few 
letters,  a  bit  of  mending,  some  socks  to  darn  and  maybe  wash  your  hair  and  file 
a  nail  or  two — and  along  comes  Jimmy  something-or-other,  aged  nineteen,  from 
Tulamasoo,  Idaho,  to  pay  you  a  call  (knowing  you  must  be  lonesome!),  and  he 
stays  and  stays  and  stays  and  tells  you  of  all  his  love  affairs  (oh  what  a  devil  with 
the  ladies  he  is!)  of  the  last  sixteen  years,  but  vows  no  girl  holds  a  candle  to 
you! — wouldn't  you  just  like  to  forget  you're  a  nice  '"Y"  lady  and  say  some- 
hing  in  "shavetail"  language? 


0)  o     . 


SINGING   THEIR   WAY   TO   VICTORY  205 

A  transport,  crowded  with  soldiers,  is  on  the  ^'road  to 
France."  The  shores  of  America  have  faded  from  the 
vision  and  the  ship  is  plunging  on  its  way  toward  mid- 
ocean  and  the  submarine  danger  zone.  We  hear  the  rhyth- 
mic echo  of  voices — thousands  of  voices: 

^'Good-by  Broadway,  hello  France — 
WeVe  ten  million  strong — 
Good-by  sweethearts,  wives,  and  mothers. 
It  won't  take  us  long — 
Don't  you  worry  while  we're  there — 
It's  for  you  we're  fighting,  too — 
So  good-by  Broadwaj^,  hello  France — 
We're  going  to  square  our  debt  to  you!" 

And  on  that  memorable  morning  when  the  shores  of 
France  first  loom  into  view — what  an  outburst  of  song: 
''Hail!  Hail!  the  Gang's  All  Here!"  ^^It's  a  Long  Way 
to  Berlin,  but  We'll  Get  There."  "When  We  Wmd  Up 
the  Watch  on  the  Rhine." 

The  great  job  finally  became  to  prevent  the  soldiers 
from  singing  at  a  critical  point  or  to  stop  them  once  they 
got  started.  The  song  leaders  who  went  over  to  France 
found  lots  of  work  to  do,  but  on  the  whole  they  found 
that  the  intensive  work  done  in  America  in  teaching  the 
soldiers  the  words  of  the  real  songs  they  wanted  to  sing, 
and  impregnating  them  with  confidence  and  the  love  of 
real  singing,  resulted  in  much  singing  and  some  new  songs. 

The  songs  will  not  always  bear  textual  repetition,  but 
their  melodies,  even  those  which  sprang  spontaneously 
out  of  war  conditions,  were  pure  music.  Over  and  over 
again  on  going  up  to  the  line  in  the  cold  dawn,  or  in  the 
equally  wretched  hours  just  after  midnight,  officers  would 

frequently  have  to  call  out,  "Cut  out  that  d singing!" 

For  the  American  doughboy  had  that  type  of  buoyant 
courage  which  can  be  properly  expressed  only  in  a  chorus. 

Coming  back  from  the  lines  it  was  often  one  continuous 
sing-song  all  the  way.     In  the  huts,  where  men  would 


206  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

occupy  the  seats  hours  before  the  performance  began  so 
as  to  make  sure  of  getting  their  share  in  these  always 
crowded  show-houses,  the  natural  thing  was  to  sing.  Some- 
body would  start,  and  ofif  they  would  go.  Far  and  away 
the  most  frequently  sung  of  all  the  American  tunes,  a 
song  that  hypnotized  the  American  doughboy  in  his  leisure 
moments,  was  that  languorous  ditty: 

"I'm  sorry,  dear — so  sorry,  dear — 
I'm  sorry  I  made  you  cry! — 
Won't  you  forget,  won't  you  forgive? 
Don't  let  us  say  good-by! 
One  little  word — one  little  smile — 
One  little  kiss — won't  you  try? 
It  breaks  my  heart  to  hear  you  sigh — 
I'm  sorry  I  made  you  cry!" 

An  entertainer  who  could  start  this  song  was  as  sure 
of  her  house  in  the  rain-soaked,  primitive  conditions  of 
wartime  France,  as  was  George  Cohan  in  a  patriotic  flag- 
waving  on  Broadway.  They  would  go  on  to  'Toor  Butter- 
fly," "The  Broken  Doll,"  "Ireland  Must  Be  Heaven"  and 
"Oh,  You  Beautiful  Doll." 

Then  there  was  that  other  splendid  group  of  songs, 
the  home  sentiment  songs:  "There's  a  Long  Long  Trail 
Awinding" — it  lifted  the  soldiers'  hearts  as  clearly  as  the 
inspiration  of  any  victory.  "Hark!  Hear  the  Soldiers 
Singing,"  "The  Rose  of  No  Man's  Land,"  "My  Belgian 
Rose,"  "Lorraine,"  "Keep  the  Home  Fires  Burning," 
"The  Little  Gray  Home  in  the  West,"  and  "The  End  of 
a  Perfect  Day" — what  visions  arose  before  their  eyes, 
what  irresistible  repose  and  confidence  the  music  brought! 

And  how  these  memories  in  melody  started  the  hearts 
of  thousands  of  boys  beating — how  the  eyes  moistened 
as  they  fell  into  the  melody  of 

"It's  a  long  way  to  dear  old  Broadway — 
But  we're  coming  back  to  you!" 


SINGING   THEIR   WAY    TO   VICTORY  207 

How  the  feet  began  to  beat  time  with  the  heart,  and 
bodies  swung  into  the  rhythm  of  ''I  Want  to  Go  Back  to 
Michigan — I  Want  to  Go  Back  to  the  Farm,"  or  ''Back 
Home  in  Tennessee,"  ''My  Old  Kentucky  Home,"  "Carry 
Me  Back  to  Old  Virginny."  But  how  those  voices  rose 
and  the  starlit  skies  of  France  threw  back  the  echoes  when 
they  sang 

"I  wish  I  was  in  de  land  of  cotton. 
Old  times  dar  will  never  be  forgotten, 
Look-a-way!    Look-a-way!    Look-a-way!  Dixie  Land! .  . . 

Den  I  wish  I  was  in  Dixie,  Hoo-ray!  Hoo-ray! 

In  Dixie  Land  1^11  take  my  stand 

To  lib  and  die  in  Dixie — 

Away,  away,  away  down  South  in  Dixie — 

Away,  away,  away  down  South  in  Dixie!" 

In  all  this  spontaneous  singing  the  entertainers,  espe- 
cially the  trained  professional  singers,  who  "put  over" 
songs  with  the  zest  and  in  the  atmosphere  that  one  gets 
only  through  a  lifetime  of  practice,  should  be  given  their 
tribute.  Elsie  Janis's  singing  of  "Over  Here,"  and  "When 
Yankee  Doodle  Learns  to  Parlez-Vous  Francais,"  a  song 
that  was  tremblingly  laid  before  her  by  a  doughboy  with 
the  faint  hope  that  she  might  "give  it  a  try,"  went  like 
wildfire  throughout  the  Army.  The  records  will  never 
tell  how  many  a  little  entertainer  came  to  be  known  among 
their  chosen  units  as  the  "Smiles"  girl  just  because  she 
popularized  and  connected  unforgettably  with  her  own 
personal  charm  that  Ulting  ditty,  "Pack  up  Your  Troubles 
in  Your  Old  Kit  Bag  and  Smile,  Smile,  Smile!"  There 
were  others  who  created  a  saucy  atmosphere  with  "N' 
Everything,"  or  built  up  a  fine  heroic  mood  around  a  song 
which  Margaret  Wilson  did  most  to  popularize,  "The 
Americans  Have  Come."  Irving  Berlin  covered  himself 
with  glory  by  launching  upon  the  world,  "Oh,  How  I 
Hate  to  Get  Up  in  the  Morning,"  and  "How  You  Going 
to  Keep  Them  Down  on  the  Farm?" 


208  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

But  the  doughboys'  greatest  joy  was  to  sing  those  spon- 
taneous authorless  songs  that  rose  in  the  unique  atmos- 
phere of  the  A.  E.  F.  itself.  Most  famous  of  all  these  was 
that  classic  which  served  through  the  War  and  is  still 
going  strong  wherever  A.  E.  F.  men  get  together,  ^'Hinky 
Dinky  Parlez-Vous."  It  had  an  infinite  number  of  verses, 
but  it  always  started  out  with  this  one,  which  gives  the 
full  flavor  of  a  real  doughboy  ditty: 

*'The  General  got  the  croix  de  guerre,  parlez-vous, 
The  General  got  the  croix  de  guerre,  parlez  vous, 
The  General  got  the  croix  de  guerre. 
But  the  son  of  a  gun,  he  was  never  there, 
Hinkyy  Dinky ^  Parlez-Vous.^' 

Then  there  was  that  self-indulgent  privates'  chanson 
entitled  "I  Know  Where  They  Are/'  which,  after  describing 
in  various  stanzas  that  the  officers  were  ^^down  in  Rosie's 
bar";  the  sergeants  were  ' 'eating  the  soldiers'  grub";  the 
corporals  were  ' 'mending  the  old  barbed  wire";  ended  with 
this  glorious  tribute  to  the  privates,  with  all  voices  at 
top  pitch: 

"If  you  want  to  know  where  the  privates  are, 

I  know  where  they  are, 
I  know  where  they  are,  I  know  where  they  are, 
If  you  want  to  know  where  the  privates  are, 

I  know  where  they  are — 
Up  to  their  necks  in  micdy  I  saw  them,  I  saw  them, 
Up  to  their  necks  in  mvd^  I  saw  them, 
Up  to  their  necks  in  rmidJ^ 

Of  course,  the  characteristic  quality  of  these  songs  is 
absent  unless  you  were  there  to  hear  the  spanking  music 
that  linked  up  with  the  words  and  made  them  the  most 
tuneful  marching  songs  that  ever  were  sung. 

The  Army  was  just  as  rich  in  parodies.  Of  these,  ''Do 
We  Go  Home  or  Do  We  Hesitate?"  probably  evoked  the 
most  hearty  and  general  approval  of  all.  The  most  ironic 
lines  of  this  song  ran, 


SINGING   THEIR   WAY   TO   VICTORY  209 

"Twenty  years  from  now  General  Pershing,  he'll  say,  ^Gee! 
I  forgot  about  those  boys  in  Germanee/ 
Do  We  Go  Home—Or  Do  We  Hesitated 

The  Alabama  boys,  who  provided  the  wildest  contingent 
of  the  Forty-Second  Division,  just  naturally  had  a  song 
all  their  own,  the  full  effect  of  which  unfortunately  cannot 
be  given  here,  but  which  struck  a  touching  ironic  note  at 
the  end  of  each  stanza,  '^Oh,  This  Beautiful  War!"  This 
song,  like  many  others  of  the  great  popular  songs  of  the 
War,  never  has  been  and  probably  never  will  be  com- 
mitted to  paper.  In  fact,  many  of  the  best  known  dough- 
boy songs  cannot  be  bought  and  perhaps  have  not  been 
seen  in  their  written  form  by  most  of  those  who  know 
them  and  sing  them  on  every  provocation  at  their  reunions. 
Anyhow,  this  is  as  good  a  time  as  any  to  include  the  words, 
to  the  tune  of  "The  Ole  Gray  Mare,''  of  the  best  known 
parody  of  them  all,  "Good-by  Kaiser  Bill."    They  went: 

"Uncle  Sammy  he's  got  the  infantry, 
He's  got  the  cavalry. 
He's  got  the  artillery. 
And  so  by  gosh  we'll  all  go  to  Germany 
Good-hy  Kaiser  Bill, 

"Good-by  Kaiser  Bill,  good-by.  Kaiser  Bill, 
For  Uncle  Sammy,  he's  got  the  infantry. 

He's  got  the  cavalry. 

He's  got  the  artillery, 
And  so  by  gosh  we'll  all  go  to  Germany, 

And  good-by  Kaiser  BiUJ^ 


For  over  a  year  in  America  Marshall  Bartholomew  had 
charge  of  the  Music  Department.  He  went  to  Paris  about 
the  middle  of  January,  1919,  but  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  leave  for  America  early  in  March,  1919,  as  there  were 
problems  to  be  solved  in  the  cantonments  at  home.  It 
was  at  Mr.  Bartholomew's  request  that  Ernest  B.  Cham- 


210  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

berlain  wa^  urged  to  return  to  France.  He  was  previously 
an  instructor  in  music  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 
On  February  1,  1919,  the  Song  Leaders'  Bureau  of  the 
Entertainment  Department  A.  E.  F.-Y  MCA  was  for- 
mally inaugurated  by  Mr.  Chamberlain  as  director. 

Louis  N.  Cushman  appeared  in  the  Le  Mans  Area  in 
the  latter  part  of  February,  1919,  to  do  sing-song  work 
as  a  song  leader  in  the  camps.  There  he  organized  teams, 
with  a  song  leader  and  accompanist.  One  team  went  into 
Tonnerre,  where  it  spent  a  month  with  the  Thirty-Sixth 
Division.  Mr.  Cushman  had  the  hearty  support  of  Colonel 
James,  through  whose  interest  singing  classes  were  ar- 
ranged among  the  soldiers.  Men  were  chosen  from  the 
Army  and  sent  to  the  classes  one  hour  a  day  for  eight 
days.  The  Lawrence  Course  for  Song  Leaders  used  at 
Columbia  was  curtailed  to  meet  the  necessity  for  a  short 
course.  These  soldier  song  leaders  of  chosen  ability  took 
a  deep  interest  in  the  work.  Nightly  a  song  leader  would 
go  out  to  different  towns  in  the  surrounding  territory, 
accompanied  by  a  folding  organ  to  work  the  singing  up  to 
its  proper  pitch.  At  La  Suze,  Mr.  Cushman  recalls  one 
evening  when  he  managed  to  coax  eight  or  nine  men  about 
him  to  sing  songs  of  a  popular  style.  It  was  not  long  before 
this  small  group  grew  to  about  800  soldiers,  and  sprinkled 
among  them  were  French  children  and  civilians.  He 
asked  the  French  to  sing  ''Madelon^'  and  then  the  ''Mar- 
seillaise.'' When  they  had  finished  the  soldiers  cheered. 
The  soldiers  were  eager  to  return  the  compliment  and  sang 
a  number  of  American  popular  songs.  The  French  ap- 
plauded them  in  their  usual  manner.  In  this  way,  through 
sing-songs,  the  Entente  Cordiale  was  promoted  and  it 
had  a  great  deal  to  do  in  strengthening  the  relations  among 
the  American  soldiers  and  the  French  people. 

One  interesting  experience  is  that  of  a  song  leader  on  a 
motor  truck,  accompanied  by  a  rolling  canteen  in  the 
Twenty-Ninth  Division  at  Le  Mans.     Pauline  Hayes  was 


SINGING   THEIR   WAY   TO   VICTORY  211 

assigned  to  begin  at  Tours,  where  she  reported  to  Mr. 
Hazenburg,  song  leader.  Together  they  had  sing-songs 
until  the  army  division  moved  from  J  ussy  to  Le  Mans 
concentration  camp  on  March  26,  1919.  Here  it  was  that 
Miss  Hayes  had  her  happy  thought.  She  asked  permis- 
sion to  have  a  piano  placed  on  an  army  motor  truck.  A 
canteen  worker  was  asked  to  join  them,  a  rolling  canteen 
was  enlisted,  and  these  combined  forces  went  out  into  the 
camps.  There  they  served  lemonade  and  cookies — and 
started  the  whole  camp  on  an  orgy  of  song. 

The  song  leaders  began  to  invade  all  sectors  of  the  Army. 
There  was  Fred  H.  Balmond  at  Le  Mans;  Frances  Black- 
ney,  who  was  at  Semur  as  assistant  song  leader; 'Louise 
Robins  Curry,  who  went  from  Semur  to  St.  Gervais;  Charles 
M.  Clear  who  was  sent  to  Coblenz,  and  later  on  to  Biarritz 
and  Luchon  Cauterets;  Leo  Charles  Demack,  choir  leader 
at  St.  Peter's  Church,  Beverly,  Mass.,  who  was  with  the 
Third  Army  at  Coblenz  and  then  went  to  Bordeaux;  Flor- 
ence Eis  at  Semur;  C.  C.  Gleason  at  Le  Mans;  Robert 
Good;  Ira  M.  Grey,  song  leader  with  the  Religious  Work 
Department;  C.  F.  Lamb,  an  entertainment  secretary  in 
the  Eighth  Region,  at  Dijon,  who  later  joined  Mr.  Thrush 
at  Coblenz;  Edward  Havens  at  Mentone;  Milford  Witts, 
entertainment  director  at  Dijon;  J.  L.  Newhall  at  St. 
Nazaire,  one  of  the  great  successes  as  a  song  leader;  W.  Stan- 
ley Hawkins  who  after  January  1,  1919,  was  sent  to  Coblenz 
to  take  charge  of  the  Music  Department  in  the  Third  Army; 
Eugene  Foulke;  Arthur  K.  Wyatt  of  the  Kirk  Entertain- 
ment Unit;  A.  W.  Ely  at  St.  Nazaire;  and  G.  J.  Edwards, 
who  was  sent  to  the  Leave  Areas.  These  are  but  a  few  of 
the  song  leaders  in  the  field. 

The  experience  of  Hope  G.  Carrell  is  typical  of  the 
service.  Transferred  from  the  Women's  Bureau  she  became 
a  lecturer,  soloist,  and  violinist.  She  interspersed  the 
entertainment  program  with  sing-songs,  leading  the  audi- 
ence of  soldiers  by  starting  the  song.    She  started  the  work 


212  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

around  Bordeaux,  where  she  was  assigned  for  two  weeks 
and  then  went  to  Le  Mans.  Here  the  soldiers  were  usually 
encamped  in  their  tents  in  the  large  fields.  On  a  motor 
truck  or  a  Ford,  equipped  with  a  folding  organ,  she  led 
the  sing-songs  right  there  in  the  field. 

In  view  of  the  rapid  movement  of  the  American  troops 
for  home,  the  assignment  of  song  leaders  to  the  field  was 
discontinued  at  the  end  of  May,  1919.  The  singing  of 
these  songs  will  continue  at  camp  fires  and  reunions  for 
fifty  years  to  come,  and  some  of  the  songs  will  remain 
when  the  Great  War  has  become  a  part  of  America's  tra- 
dition of  humor  and  buoyancy  under  danger  and  difficulty. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ENLISTING  EMINENT  LECTURERS 

^ 'Charm  ache  with  air  and  agony  with  words J^ 
Much  Ado  about  Nothing. 

Not  only  did  the  actors  and  song  leaders  follow  the 
armies — there  were  still  others.  Famous  American  au- 
thors, travelers,  jurists,  psychologists,  clergymen,  his- 
torians, journalists,  lawyers,  publicists,  educators,  play- 
wrights— more  than  500  of  them,  200  of  whom  were  in 
regular  service — became  lecturers  to  the  American  soldier. 
They,  too,  were  equipped  with  gas  masks  and  the  para- 
phernalia of  campaigning  along  the  lines  behind  the  front. 
It  was  their  duty  to  instruct  the  doughboys  in  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  they  were  fighting;  to  keep  them  posted 
on  affairs  ''back  home'';  and  to  take  advantage  of  this 
opportunity  to  instill  the  value  of  knowledge  and  self- 
development  into  the  youth  of  the  nation.  Their  first  duty, 
however,  was  to  entertain;  and  it  is  from  this  viewpoint 
that  their  service  is  here  recorded. 

American  celebrities  of  the  platform  and  pulpit  were 
not  the  only  ones  offered  to  the  American  doughboy. 
There  were  famous  men  of  letters  and  science  from  England, 
who  crossed  the  Channel  to  speak;  a  few  from  France, 
whose  mastery  of  English  was  sufficient  to  carry  the  in- 
terest of  an  American  boy  through  an  evening;  and  such 
personages  as  might  possibly  be  recruited  from  other 
countries,  such  as  Dr.  Wellington  Koo,  Minister  from 
China  to  the  United  States,  head  of  the  Chinese  delegation 
at  the  Peace  Conference,  himself  a  Columbia  graduate. 

Early  in  December,  1917,  Mr.  Carter  had  proposed  a 
plan  to  General  Pershing  to  exchange  the  best  American 
speakers  with  the  British,  in  order  to  strengthen  the  mu- 

213 


214  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

tual  interests  of  the  two  countries.  The  suggestion  won 
immediate  approval  and  in  this  way  the  United  States 
troops  gained  the  opportunity  of  Hstening  to  some  of  the 
foremost  figures  in  Great  Britain's  pubHc  hfe.  There  were 
Lord  Bryce,  Former  British  Ambassador  at  Washington, 
Viscount  Northcliffe,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  Sir  Johnston 
Forbes  Robertson  and  Lady  Robertson,  H.  G.  W^ells  of 
''Mr.  Britling''  fame,  Ian  Hay  (Major  Beith),  author  of 
the  'The  First  Hundred  Thousand,''  John  Masefield,  the 
poet.  Rev.  Sidney  Berry,  Rev.  B.  T.  Butcher,  Professor 
C.  S.  Terry,  Professor  F.  Morse  Simpson,  Professor  H.  F. 
Stewart,  Ben  Greet,  Louis  Casson,  Sylvia  Thorndike, 
Professor  W.  P.  Paterson  of  Edinburgh  University,  Dr. 
MacMillan,  Glasgow's  noted  Presbyterian  divine,  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Ferguson,  one  of  the  greatest  lecturers  on  polit- 
ical subjects  in  the  British  Empire.  Rudyard  Kipling 
addressed  American  troops  at  Winchester  and  in  other 
British  camps.  In  exchange  for  this  galaxy  of  stars  some 
of  the  American  speakers  sent  into  the  British  lines  were 
Samuel  Gompers,  president  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Labor,  Edward  Bok,  for  many  years  editor  of  the  Ladies^ 
Home  Journal,  Dr.  Albert  Shaw,  long  noted  as  the  editor 
of  the  American  Review  of  Reviews,  Professor  J.  A.  Field 
of  the  University  of  Chicago  faculty,  and  Ernest  Hamilton 
Abbott,  correspondent  for  The  Outlook. 

This  service  was  first  instituted  by  Arthur  Gleason, 
the  magazine  writer,  early  in  September,  1917.  The  first 
American  lecturer  to  appear  in  France — three  days  after 
the  arrival  of  General  Pershing — was  Norman  Hapgood, 
later  sent  by  President  Wilson  as  Minister  to  Denmark. 
He  lectured  in  Paris  as  early  as  July  7,  1917,  before  the 
lecture  service  was  organized.  James  Hazen  Hyde,  long 
an  American  resident  of  France,  was  another  of  the  early 
speakers,  addressing  about  300  American  soldiers  stationed 
in  Paris  in  July,  1917,  on  "Franco- American  Relations 
Since  1776." 


ENLISTING    EMINENT    LECTURERS  215 

From  the  arrival  of  the  first  American  troops  on  foreign 
soil  the  demand  for  lecturei's  was  continuous.  Due  to  the 
dearth  of  American  speakers  in  France  at  that  date,  it 
was  necessary  for  a  while  to  utilize  soldier  talent.  Many 
a  soldier  was  an  accomplished  orator  and  entertained  his 
comrades  in  the  huts  with  convincing  speeches  on  the 
superior  merits  of  his  home  city  or  his  home  state,  rising 
to  glowing  eulogies  of  the  greatness  of  America.  This  was 
the  kind  of  spirit  which  laid  the  germ  that  created  the 
lecture  service.  It  became  so  popular  with  the  boys  that 
it  was  found  necessary  to  place  it  in  a  department  of  its 
own.  Already  Mr.  Gleason  was  burdened  with  so  many 
duties  that  he  found  it  difficult  to  devote  the  time  required 
by  the  increasing  needs  of  this  newer  field.  This  important 
service  was  committed  to  the  guidance  of  Dr.  John  Gay- 
lord  Coulter,  a  Chicago  editor  and  lecturer. 

The  cry  for  facts  about  the  War — the  all-absorbing  topic 
of  the  moment — its  underlying  causes,  its  political  effect 
upon  the  future,  was  so  great  among  the  American  soldiers 
arriving  on  the  scene  of  conflict  that  when  Dr.  Coulter 
became  Director  of  the  Department  of  Entertainment  and 
Lectures,  he  set  about  at  once  to  recruit  speakers  who 
could  talk  convincingly  on  these  matters.  Thus  began  the 
long  '4ine"  of  celebrities  in  American  public  life  which 
stretched  out  into  various  divisions  of  the  Army  to  imbed 
deeply  in  the  minds  of  the  soldiers  all  the  things  for  which 
they  had  gone  to  war,  and  to  promote  the  American  point 
of  view  and  the  fighting  spirit  of  the  men. 

Dr.  Coulter  scoured  the  city  of  Paris  for  Americans  of 
note,  engaged  in  some  other  form  of  war  service,  who 
might  be  willing  to  address  the  soldiers.  He  was  fortunate 
in  finding  a  number  who  proved  of  inestimable  value  during 
those  early  days.  Dr.  Paul  van  Dyke,  professor  of  English 
Literature  at  Princeton,  was  in  Paris  as  head  of  the  Prince- 
ton Division  of  the  American  University  Union.  George 
Henry  Nettleton,  professor  of  English  at  Yale,  was  pre- 


216  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

siding  as  chairman  of  the  University  Union's  executive 
board.  Charles  W.  Veditz,  the  economist  and  sociologist, 
was  attache  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  at  the  Amer- 
ican Embassy.  These  and  many  others  willingly  con- 
tributed their  time  and  talent  to  the  cause,  speaking  when- 
ever called  upon. 

A  trio  of  French  notables  in  the  persons  of  the  Comtesse 
de  St.  Maurice,  Mme.  Gilles  Darmyl,  the  writer,  and 
Hughes  le  Roux,  all  with  a  perfect  command  of  English, 
joined  the  lecture  forces.  The  Comtesse  related  the  expe- 
riences of  the  French  during  the  German  invasion  of  1914. 
Dr.  Woods  Hutchinson,  the  American  medical  authority, 
extended  advice  to  the  soldiers.  Other  able  American 
speakers  in  this  original  volunteer  group  were  Will  Irwin, 
the  writer,  Professor  Mark  Baldwin,  Professor  John  Hunter 
Sedgwick,  and  Charles  A.  Prince,  a  conspicuous  member 
of  the  Boston  bar.  Mr.  Prince's  lecture  on  ''What  the 
Boche  Really  Is,"  was  very  effective  during  the  dark  days 
of  1917  and  1918. 

Dr.  Coulter  soon  was  able  to  add  other  speakers  arriv- 
ing from  America.  Among  them  were  Professor  Arthur 
H.  Norton,  Vice-President  of  Elmira  College;  Dr.  Wilson 
S.  Naylor  of  the  Lawrence  University  faculty  at  Appleton, 
Wisconsin;  George  Palmer  of  Superior,  Wisconsin;  Harry 
C.  Evans,  a  Des  Moines  editor  and  Chautauqua  lecturer; 
and  Robert  P.  Shepherd  of  Grand  Rapids,  well  known 
to  the  Chautauquas. 

The  cordial  reception  accorded  to  all  these  early  speak- 
ers by  the  soldiers  wherever  a  lecture  was  given  proved 
how  hungry  the  American  fighting  force  was  for  knowledge 
of  European  affairs  and  the  background  of  the  struggle. 
Winthrop  Ames  had  noted  this,  too,  on  his  tour  of  inspec- 
tion among  the  camps  and  reported  it  to  Paris.  Dr.  Coulter 
requested  the  headquarters  officials  to  assign  him  every 
arriving  secretary  who  could  address  an  audience,  whether 
professional  lecturer,  pulpit  orator,  educator,  psychologist. 


ENLISTING    EMINENT    LECTURERS  217 

scientist,  statesman,  politician,  historian,  dramatist,  or 
actor — all  who  were  accustomed  to  appearing  in  public 
and  addressing  audiences.  Men  who  had  been  college 
presidents,  clergymen,  editors,  authors,  judges,  platform 
orators  went  out  into  the  camps,  dotted  like  points  on  a 
spider's  web,  appearing  before  their  soldier  audiences  un- 
heralded, with  no  reference  whatever  to  their  positions 
in  life — each  delivering  a  vigorous  message  of  patriotism 
and  purpose. 

As  soon  as  it  was  learned  that  Anson  Phelps  Stokes  of 
Yale  had  arrived  in  Paris,  early  in  January,  1918,  with  a 
view  to  drafting  an  educational  program  for  the  Y  M  C  A, 
Dr.  Coulter  pressed  him  into  service  in  the  lecture  depart- 
ment. Choosing  the  subject  of  ^'America  and  France," 
he  probably  was  the  first  speaker  to  give  an  illustrated 
lecture  along  the  American  front.  A  tour  was  arranged  for 
Paris,  Chaumont,  Langres,  Bourmont,  Neufchateau, 
Chalons,  and  Gondrecourt. 

Dr.  Coulter  himself  was  a  speaker  of  ability,  and  his 
powers  of  entertainment  were  proved  on  frequent  occa- 
sions when  substituting  for  others  who  at  the  last  minute 
could  not  appear.  Moreover,  he  was  anxious  to  get  out 
into  the  field  where  he  felt  a  more  intimate  association 
with  the  soldiers  awaited  him.  Mr.  Carter  accordingly 
released  him  to  serve  in  his  desired  field.  To  fill  his  place 
was  a  perplexing  problem.  Happily,  however,  he  remem- 
bered reading  the  reports  of  some  clever  impromptu  enter- 
tainments which  had  been  staged  out  at  Beaumont,  a 
battered  French  village  standing  right  on  the  edge  of  No 
Man's  Land.  He  felt  that  the  man  who  was  capable  of 
arranging  such  good  programs  under  those  trying  condi- 
tions ought  to  make  the  new  department  "go."  So  he  sent 
for  him — Charles  Steele,  who  achieved  the  notable  success 
related  in  a  preceding  chapter.  Mr.  Steele  was  a  true 
American;  he  was  willing  to  serve  his  country  in  any  capac- 
ity, so  he  left  the  field  where  it  was  all  excitement,    and 


218  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

came  into  Paris,  where  for  a  year  he  ran  the  entertainment 
service. 

It  was  not  long  before  Mr.  Steele  had  a  line  of  lecturers 
moving  regularly  about  his  war  camp  Chatauqua  circuit. 
There  were  Harry  Emerson  Fosdick  the  author-clergyman, 
President  William  H.  Crawford  of  Allegheny  College, 
Rheta  Childs  Dorr  the  author.  Judge  John  Garland  Pollard 
of  Richmond,  Bishop  Rogers  Israel  of  Erie,  Rev.  Chester 
Emerson  of  Detroit,  Judge  Tod  B.  Galloway  of  Columbus, 
President  Carl  G.  Doney  of  Willamette  University,  former 
Senator  Le  Roy  Percy  of  Mississippi,  Dan  Poling,  Robert 
George  Paterson,  Captain  Beekman,  Chaplain  Monod, 
Eunice  Tietjens,  and  Burges  Johnson,  professor  of  English 
at  Vassar  College,  who  gave  his  lecture  ''American  as  It 
Is  Spoken  in  Forty-Two  Different  States."  Each  one 
met  with  overwhelming  success,  proving  the  truth  of 
Winthrop  Ames's  statement  that  the  men  were  hungry 
for  serious  and  educational  talks. 

Great  crowds  gathered  nightly  to  hear  these  speakers 
at  such  large  troop  centers  as  Rimaucourt,  St.  Blin,  Treveray, 
Givrauval,  Boucq,  Minil-le-Tour — the  last  place  on  the 
Toul  front  where  one  could  go  without  a  gas  mask — and 
at  Colombey-les-Belles.  Here  the  boys  were  so  hungry 
for  an  American  speaker  that  when  Mr.  Paterson  appeared 
there  on  the  night  the  big  offensive  began  he  was  greeted 
by  an  enormous  audience  which  packed  the  place,  standing 
and  squatting  in  the  aisles,  and  was  introduced  by  Major 
Frank  Copeland  Page,  son  of  Walter  Hines  Page,  late 
ambassador  to  Great  Britain.  Later,  on  the  night  of  April 
10,  1918,  Mr.  Paterson  was  in  a  gas  attack  at  Beaumont, 
beyond  Dead  Man's  Curve,  and  could  lecture  but  little 
in  France  after  that.  Dr.  Crawford  followed  into  this 
region  and  met  with  overwhelming  success.  Rheta  Childs 
Dorr,  on  her  way  back  to  the  United  States  from  Russia, 
spoke  in  many  huts  in  French  Lorraine,  venturing  as  far 
toward  the  firing  line  as  a  woman  was  permitted.    Bishop 


ENLISTING    EMINENT    LECTURERS  219 

Israel  did  most  effective  work  along  the  Toul  front  in  the 
early  spring  of  1918,  when  the  Germans  were  making 
their  terrific  drives.  Dr.  Doney,  of  Oregon,  offered  his 
audiences  a  variety  of  good  subjects:  "German  Kultur  vs. 
CiviHzation,"  "What  We  Shall  Get  out  of  the  War,"  and 
"The  French  and  Anglo-Saxon  Mind."  Senator  Percy, 
a  member  of  the  special  Harbison  Commission  investigating 
the  Y  M  C  A  in  France,  was  always  called  upon  in  the 
huts  visited  by  Mr.  Harbison  and  his  other  associates. 

Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  went  to  France  in  the  spring  of 
1918,  to  work  in  the  canteens  and  render  what  assistance 
she  could.  Immediately  she  was  pressed  into  lecture 
service  and  consented  to  read  her  own  poems  to  the  sol- 
diers in  the  base  hospitals,  who  received  her  with  great 
enthusiasm.  As  was  revealed  by  her  untimely  death  not 
long  after,  her  health  broke  down  in  the  service  and  com- 
pelled her  return  to  America  long  before  she  could  make 
the  rounds  of  the  camps  that  were  clamoring  for  her  ap- 
pearance. 

John  Kendrick  Bangs  and  Irvin  Cobb  were  two  big 
drawing  cards  for  the  lecture  bureau.  Both  kept  their 
audiences  convulsed.  Unfortunately  Mr.  Cobb's  time  was 
too  limited  to  spare  many  days  to  the  lecture  department, 
though  he  devoted  every  evening  possible  to  some  soldier 
audience  in  Paris.  Mr.  Bangs  always  was  ready  whenever 
he  was  called  upon,  taking  several  extensive  trips  to  the 
front. 

"I  spoke  in  many  ^Y'  huts  and  once  in  a  barn,"  com- 
mented Mr.  Bangs  on  his  return  from  his  first  lecture 
trip  to  the  front.  "I  had  spoken  to  the  boys  of  the  motor 
transport  service  before  and  that  little  cheering  did  them 
a  great  deal  of  good.  So  I  went  out  there  again  with  only 
the  starlight  to  illuminate  the  roads  ahead.  I  spoke  to  the 
soldiers  with  the  cannon  roaring  steadily  a  few  miles  away 
and  with  shells  passing  overhead.  I  told  them  funny 
stories  and  then  gave  them  a  serious  talk  about  what 
America  was  doing  to  win  the  War.     While  at  another 


220  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

place  I  reached  the  ruins  of  what  had  been  a  village.  There 
in  a  tent,  on  the  edge  of  No  Man's  Land,  I  found  Norton, 
Vice-President  of  Ehnira  College,  who  was  devoting  his 
vacation  to  serving  the  soldiers  in  France.'' 

William  Arnold  Shanklin,  President  of  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  speakers  in  France.  The  reputation  of  his 
talks  on  everyday  problems  traveled  before  him  and  he 
was  greeted  by  crowds.  One  of  the  features  of  his  lec- 
tures was  the  open  forum  he  conducted  afterward  in  which 
the  soldiers  participated,  not  only  questioning  the  speaker 
but  addressing  the  audience  themselves.  These  discus- 
sions grew  immensely  popular. 

Captain  George  C.  Pidgeon  was  recruited  from  the 
Canadian  Army,  speaking  on  ^The  North  American  Spirit." 
Professor  John  Erskine  of  Colimibia,  later  head  of  the 
educational  department,  lectured  at  the  base  ports  on 
"Our  Neighbors  the  French."  Dr.  John  Deans,  a  well- 
known  lecturer  from  Brooklyn,  capitalized  his  first  six 
months'  experience  as  a  hut  secretary  at  the  front  and 
addressed  the  incoming  soldiers  at  the  base  ports  during 
the  summer  of  1918  on  ''My  Experiences  with  the  French 
People." 

By  the  spring  of  1918,  Messrs.  Steele  and  Johnson  were 
sending  out  into  the  field  a  list  of  celebrities  that  would 
have  been  the  envy  of  the  American  lecture  bureaus.  This 
included  Lorado  Taft,  the  American  sculptor,  who  drew 
crowds  at  the  Palais  de  Glace;  Mme.  Enuna  Nevada, 
the  celebrated  American  diva  who  delighted  Metropolitan 
audiences  two  decades  ago;  Ray  Stannard  Baker,  American 
author  and  journalist;  Edward  A.  Filene,  the  Boston 
merchant,  active  in  The  League  to  Enforce  Peace;  Henry 
Morgenthau,  former  Ambassador  to  Turkey;  General  W. 
W.  Hard  of  the  A.  E.  F.;  and  Reginald  Wright  Kaufmann, 
the  writer.  Mrs.  Richard  Mansfield  lectured  on  ''The 
Merchant  of   Venice,"   Euphemia  Bakewell   of   Pittsburg 


ENLISTING    EMINENT    LECTURERS  221 

gave  talks  on  "Joan  of  Arc''  and  the  "The  Streets  of  Paris" 
with  illustrated  slides,  and  Mrs.  August  Belmont  enter- 
tained with  brilliant  readings  and  talks. 

Then  there  was  a  group  of  eminent  American  divines: 
Bishop  Brent,  before  he  became  Senior  Chaplain  of  the 
A.  E.  F.,  Bishop  Luther  B.  Wilson,  Rev.  Robert  Freeman  of 
Los  Angeles,  Rev.  Floyd  Irving  Beckwith  of  Chicago, 
Rev.  E.  B.  Edworthy  of  Montana,  John  F.  Babb  of  Haver- 
hill, Mass.,  George  Wood  Anderson,  the  evangelist  from 
Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  President  Henry  Churchill  King  of 
Oberlin  College,  Joseph  E.  Appley  of  Hancock,  N.  Y., 
Rev.  August  E.  Bamett  of  Millbrook,  N.  Y.,  Rev.  William 
E.  Ice  of  Versailles,  Ohio,  Rev.  James  W.  Smith  of  Man- 
chester, N.  H.,  and  Rev.  William  Dent  Atkinson  of  Grove 
City,  Ohio,  were  conspicuous  figures  in  this  list.  All  these 
pulpit  orators  crowded  the  huts  and  tents  wherever  they 
appeared. 

When  the  actors  began  to  crowd  into  Paris,  the  duties 
of  Messrs.  Steele  and  Johnson  reached  such  proportions 
that  it  became  necessary  to  transfer  the  lecture  forces, 
with  the  latest  recruits — including  Dr.  Raymond  Knox  of 
Columbia,  Professor  Frank  C.  Lockwood,  Dean  of  Litera- 
ture of  the  University  of  Arizona,  and  others — to  the  educa- 
tional department.  Dr.  Lockwood  taking  charge,  although 
in  Mr.  Steele's  own  province  he  continued  to  send  lecturers 
out  into  the  field  to  talk  on  historical,  industrial,  and  social 
subjects  of  general  interest. 

After  Mr.  Steele's  return  to  America  following  the  Ar- 
mistice he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Johnson,  who  had  con- 
tributed so  much  towards  the  general  success  of  the  whole 
undertaking.  Along  in  April,  1919,  when  the  entertain- 
ment field  grew  out  of  all  boimds,  it  was  decided  to  place 
the  lecture  service  in  the  hands  of  a  professional  Chau- 
tauqua manager,  recruited  especially  for  the  piupose  from 
the  United  States  in  the  person  of  the  late  Chauncey  D. 
Brooks.     Mr.  Brooks  began  auspiciously  with  a  corps  of 


222  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

helpers,  rendering  an  excellent  service  during  the  time  he 
was  permitted  to  give  it  supervision.  Lamentably  this 
was  not  for  long,  for  his  life  was  cut  short  on  June  14,  1919, 
when  he  passed  away  after  a  brief  illness,  and  his  depart- 
ment reverted  to  the  management  of  Mr.  Johnson  and 
later  of  A.  M.  Beatty,  where  it  remained  until  the  close 
of  the  overseas  work. 

Among  the  lecturers  secured  by  Mr.  Brooks  were  Major 
Rene  Martial,  the  distinguished  French  medical  authority, 
publicist,  and  author,  to  whom  Premier  Clemenceau  gave 
permission  to  address  the  Americans.  Major  M.  Chad- 
boimie  was  another  speaker  of  the  Peace  Conference  days, 
taking  for  his  topic  ^The  League  of  Nations — Will  It  Work?'^ 
Others  were  Firman  Roz  of  the  French  War  Office,  Baron 
de  Detrich,  a  prominent  Alsatian,  and  Captain  S.  N.  Dancy, 
a  Canadian. 

And  there  were  many  others — some  500  in  all — ministers, 
editors,  educators  who  helped  out  over  France  wherever 
they  happened  to  be  serving.  The  demand  for  hut  secre- 
taries exceeded  everything  else,  so  only  a  comparative  few 
could  be  spared  for  assignment  to  this  special  work. 

The  lecturers  did  a  big  work;  they  deserve  great  credit. 
They  kept  the  boys  inspired  from  start  to  finish.  After 
an  invigorating  address  the  soldiers  felt  like  going  out  into 
the  front  line  and  whipping  the  whole  German  army  single- 
handed.  As  one  lecturer  was  told  by  an  earnest  American 
lad  after  he  had  concluded  at  Givrauval  and  received  three 
lusty  cheers  from  his  vast  soldier  audience:  'That  talk 
was  worth  a  dozen  bayonet  drills."  As  they  are  instructors 
of  the  public  in  secular  life,  so  were  the  lecturers  the  in- 
structors of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces.  They 
kept  the  Army  informed  on  topics  of  general  interest  both 
at  home  and  abroad,  they  helped  to  entertain  them  during 
the  restless  days  when  every  unit  was  anxious  to  set  sail 
for  the  good  old  U.  S.  A.,  and  thus  they  did  their  part. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

"MOVIES  TONIGHT!" 

"A  kind  of  excellent  dumb  discourse.'^ 
The  Tempest. 

One  day  at  the  front  when  Elsie  Janis  was  having  one 
of  her  unusually  buoyant  fits  of  optimism,  she  slung  her 
fountain  pen  under  the  impulse  of  an  uncontrollable  idea, 
and  started  to  compute  just  how  long  it  would  take  to 
play  to  every  doughboy  in  the  A.  E.  F.  After  covering 
about  six  sheets  of  writing  paper  with  estimates  computed 
at  her  present  rate  of  speed,  she  sighed  and  leaned  back 
in  the  deepest  despair.  "Holy  Shrapnel,"  she  exclaimed, 
"who'd  have  thought  it  would  have  taken  five  years!  Gee, 
I  guess  I'll  leave  it  to  the  movies." 

The  good  old  movies!  Every  entertainer  in  France 
thanked  his  lucky  star  hundreds  of  times  that  they  were 
there  to  fill  in  when  mere  flesh  and  blood  actors  could  go 
no  farther.  From  the  trenches  to  the  base  ports,  in  every 
hut  or  shack  big  enough  to  have  entertainment  activities, 
there  might  or  might  not  be  entertainers,  but  there  were 
movies.  The  movie  screen,  in  the  doughboys'  mind  and 
in  the  mind  of  those  who  "put  over"  the  entertainment 
program,  was  the  dependable,  unfailing  amusement  for 
the  American  Army.  From  the  unforgettable  series  of 
pictures,  which  hundreds  of  community  agencies  in  America 
had  cooperated  in  sending  to  their  home  divisions,  wherein 
home  faces  and  home  sights  flickered  on  the  screen,  the 
news  digests  and  topical  reviews,  and  the  educational  and 
travel  pictures,  to  the  Homeric  antics  of  Charlie  and  Doug 
— the  movie  was  an  immense  success. 

Immediately  on  our  entrance  into  the  War,  the  Com- 

223 


224  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

munity  Motion  Picture  Bureau  offered  its  services  to  the 
YMCA.  This  Bureau  had  been  organized  in  1911  by 
Warren  Dunham  Foster,  one  of  the  first  to  grasp  the  value 
of  the  moving  picture  as  an  instrument  in  social  welfare 
and  higher  citizenship.  In  the  six  years  of  its  existence 
up  to  the  time  when  America  entered  the  War,  it  had 
put  on  a  nation-wide  basis  the  idea  of  choosing  and  ex- 
hibiting motion  pictures  for  community  education  and  civic 
value.  It  thus  precisely  fitted  the  need  of  a  clearing  house 
for  the  YMCA  and  other  welfare  organizations  in  putting 
movies  on  the  huge  scale  desired  before  the  soldiers  of 
the  American  Army.  It  was  in  touch  with  the  film  pro- 
ducers and  had  at  its  command  men  and  women  trained 
in  the  complicated  motion  picture  business.  Its  services 
to  the  soldiers  were  offered  without  profit  and  were  at  once 
accepted  for  the  work  rapidly  opening  in  the  home  camps. 

The  first  agreement  between  the  National  War  Work 
Council  and  the  Community  Bureau  dates  from  May  15, 
1917,  although  the  latter  had  functioned  informally  even 
before  that  date.  The  Community  Bureau  took  over  the 
responsibility  for  showing  moving  pictures  at  the  student 
camps  at  Plattsburg  and  elsewhere.  By  July  this  service 
was  well  organized,  with  ninety  machines  in  operation 
and  nearly  2,000,000  feet  of  film  running  weekly.  By  the 
end  of  the  year  it  was  showing  at  practically  every  camp 
and  cantonment,  and  by  February,  1918,  when  the  great 
movement  of  troops  to  France  was  ready  to  get  under 
way,  the  soldier  audiences  were  numbering  almost  1,000,000 
men  a  week,  and  from  6,000,000  to  8,000,000  feet  of  film 
a  week  had  been  fitted  into  programs  and  was  in  constant 
circuit  throughout  the  camps. 

The  arrangement  of  the  Bureau  with  the  War  Work 
Council  and  with  the  other  welfare  agencies  on  this  side 
was,  to  quote  Dr.  Mott,  '^unselfish,  if  not  sacrificial." 
The  Bureau  was  determined  that  the  soldiers  should  have 
plenty  of  pictures  and  to  their  ta^te.    The  president,  Mr. 


"MOVIES  TONIGHT!"  225 

Foster,  himself  made  a  round  of  the  camps,  watching  the 
audiences  to  get  an  idea  of  the  type  of  pictures  that  were 
most  popular.  He  came  back  to  tell  his  editorial  board 
to  omit  sentimental  pictures  of  mother  and  home  and  of 
heroic  soldier  lads.  Romances,  however,  and  real  war 
pictures  and  farces — these  were  popular  all  over  the  land. 
In  order  to  test  their  programs  more  thoroughly,  the  Bureau 
also  used  reaction  coupons  which  brought  reports  from 
a  million  audiences. 

The  task  of  the  editorial  committee  was  heavy.  Their 
business  was  to  see  all  films  and  find  enough  that  were 
healthful  and  vigorous  in  tone.  They  could  never  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  the  soldier  was  entitled  to  simple, 
unvarnished  fun,  and  to  plenty  of  comedy,  even  of  the 
most  violent  slap-stick  variety.  That  they  succeeded  in 
their  task  may  be  guessed  on  the  one  hand  by  the  satis- 
faction of  the  men,  and  on  the  other  by  the  fact  that  in 
their  two  years'  service  only  three  people  characterized  as 
objectionable  any  of  the  films  that  were  sent  out. 

General  Pershing  in  the  summer  of  1917  authorized  the 
Y  M  C  A  to  take  charge  of  the  entire  moving  picture 
service  for  the  A.  E.  F.  Seventy-five  machines  were  sent 
in  the  late  summer  of  1917,  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
receipt  of  this  order.  The  Cinema  Department  in  Paris 
was  in  one  matter  even  more  handicapped  than  other 
bureaus  in  that  first  difficult  six  months  of  finding  them- 
selves in  France.  The  moving  picture  business  is  tech- 
nical and  complicated  always,  and  it  needed  then,  more 
than  ever,  those  trained  to  the  business.  The  first  films 
sent  over  had  one  virtue.  They  were  as  poor  in  material 
as  in  matter,  and,  used  by  amateurs  and  under  the  worst 
conditions,  they  were  nearly  at  the  end  of  their  careers 
when  the  work  of  the  department  was  put  into  the  hands 
of  the  Community  Motion  Picture  Bureau  in  April,  1918. 
These,  with  what  films  it  had  been  possible  to  buy  in  France, 
were  all  the  Army  had  seen  up  to  Mr.  Foster's  arrival 


226  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

in  February.  Mr.  Foster's  comment,  after  looking  over 
the  field  and  considering  the  enormous  problems  of  trans- 
portation and  equipment,  must  have  heartened  the  secre- 
taries who  had  struggled  against  overwhelming  odds  to 
get  pictures  into  the  field.  ''I  am  more  and  more  filled 
with  admiration,"  he  said,  ^^at  what  our  predecessors  have 
accomplished  in  spite  of  their  many  handicaps." 

Up  to  the  middle  of  March,  1918,  with  the  tonnage 
shortage  and  the  torpedo  that  sunk  the  largest  ship- 
ment, only  372  showings  had  been  given.  Two  weeks 
later,  when  the  Community  Motion  Picture  Bureau  had 
become  the  Motion  Picture  Department  of  the  ''Y,"  700 
showings  were  made  each  week  and  twenty-one  portable 
machines  were  with  the  troops  on  the  march,  giving  a 
hundred  shows  a  week,  often  on  the  roadsides  at  the  nightly 
bivouacs.  The  colonel  of  a  regiment  that  had  seen  as 
hard  fighting  as  any  of  our  forces  was  asked  what  he  most 
wanted  for  his  men  after  they  entered  the  French  sector. 
He  said,  ''Three  things:  Motion  pictures;  more  motion 
pictures;  still  more  motion  pictures." 

April  saw  the  beginnings  of  what  was  to  be  a  colossal 
cinema  enterprise.  A  force  was  building  of  chauffeurs, 
mechanics,  operators,  photographers,  editors,  and  super- 
visors, and  branch  offices  within  the  year  were  to  cover 
the  ground  from  Brest  to  Coblenz,  and  from  Brussels  to 
Nice.  In  the  spring  of  1918  there  were  seven  Americans 
and  twenty  French  on  the  staff.  A  year  later,  the  force 
numbered  115  Americans  directly  under  the  Motion  Picture 
Department,  and  more  than  1,400  soldier  details,  French 
aids,  and  secretaries  working  under  its  supervisors. 

In  the  meantime,  the  first  group  of  motion  picture  spe- 
cialists had  been  seized  on  the  way  through  England,  where 
American  camps  were  clamoring  for  movies.  The  outfit 
in  England  at  that  time  consisted  of  eight  films.  Since 
half  of  the  A.  E.  F.  was  to  pass  through  England,  and 
men  of  the  Navy  and  the  Merchant  Marine  were  crowd- 


"MOVIES  TONIGHT!"  227 

ing  the  ports,  something  must  he  done  and  done  quickly. 
One  man  was  left  in  England.  In  two  months  he  had 
managed  to  get  equipment,  films,  and  helpers  enough  to 
show  what  might  be  done,  and  his  office  was  asked  to 
supply  films  for  the  British  Association,  for  the  prisoners 
of  war,  and  for  the  Colonials.  London  being  one  of  the 
greatest  film  markets  of  the  world,  time  and  money  were 
saved  by  forming  there  a  second  editorial  and  purchasing 
bureau.  Meantime  to  the  ''Y'^  headquarters  in  Paris  came 
demands  for  help  from  Italy,  and  arrangements  were 
also  made  to  serve  through  the  Association  the  Foyers, 
the  Chinese  Labor  Camps,  and  other  welfare  organiza- 
tion work  with  the  A,  E.  F.  in  France,  and  the  internment 
camps  in  Switzerland. 

This  enormous  business,  carried  on  under  the  constant 
difficulties  of  war  time,  gave  rise  to  all  sorts  of  odd  de- 
velopments. In  England  a  school  was  opened  to  train 
disabled  British  soldiers  as  operators.  In  France  it  was 
necessary  to  open  classes  for  training  the  amateur  care- 
takers of  the  precious  Delco  machines,  on  which  not  only 
the  movies  but  the  lighting  of  most  of  the  huts  depended, 
for  in  the  path  of  the  motion  picture  camera  there  followed 
a  lighting  system  which  meant  a  cheery  well-lit  hut  where 
candles  and  smoking  lamps  had  cast  gloom  before. 

The  transportation  problem  was  for  the  cinema,  as  for 
everything  else,  the  toughest  problem.  The  express  service 
of  France  had  entirely  broken  down.  The  only  way  to 
get  the  films  out  was  to  carry  them  out  by  train  with  special 
messenger,  by  motor,  or  by  motorcycle.  The  moving  pic- 
ture men  solved  this  difficulty  in  a  unique  way  which, 
originally  designed  by  Mr.  Foster  and  his  very  able  suc- 
cessor in  charge  of  the  work  in  France,  Elmo  Lowe,  met 
all  the  difficulties  of  what  looked  at  first  to  be  an  impossible 
situation.  There  was  never  enough  gasoline,  to  say  nothing 
of  Ford  trucks,  to  carry  a  regular  supply  of  films  around 
to  the  five  thousand  odd  showing  points  from  which  the 


228  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

moving  pictures  radiated  throughout  the  American  Army. 
So  early  in  the  game  the  Department  organized  a  Uttle 
army  of  its  own  of  French  civilians,  ineligible  for  army 
service,  to  act  as  special  couriers  carrying  American  films 
throughout  France.  The  idea  worked  out  remarkably, 
and  not  only  was  every  feeding  point  which  itself  might 
be  a  center  for  transporting  machines  through  an  entire 
area  supplied  for  the  omnivorous  doughboy,  but  the  courier 
service  itself  was  used  by  army  officers  and  by  certain 
sections  of  the  "Y"  as  the  most  trustworthy  and  regular 
transport  service  that  could  be  found.  These  French 
civilians  traveled  by  the  railways,  armed  with  a  formid- 
able array  of  passes  and  special  permits,  and  although  at 
first,  among  the  sections  of  the  French  Army  that  did 
not  like  to  see  civilians  abroad  on  any  mission  whatsoever, 
they  traveled  from  guardhouse  to  guardhouse,  eventually 
all  these  difficulties  were  ironed  out  and  American  movies 
circulated  throughout  the  Army  with  a  speed  which  even 
staff  couriers  envied. 

The  routing  of  the  programs  was  most  carefully  planned, 
in  order  that  all  points  should  be  served  and  no  films  left 
idle.  Each  program  was  to  be  used  four  times  a  week, 
and  in  the  height  of  the  service  nearly  5,000  points  were 
to  be  supplied,  so  that  a  failure  in  delivery  at  one  point 
might  break  up  the  plans  of  a  circuit  for  a  week,  and  error 
in  any  one  of  the  seventeen  operations  necessary  to  each 
program  meant  that  the  soldiers  were  disappointed.  This 
was  no  small  matter  if  men  had  tramped  kilometers  through 
the  mud  for  the  promised  pictures,  or  were  setting  forth 
to  the  Argonne  at  daylight,  or  had  just  had  word  of  another 
delay  in  their  transport.  The  men  and  women  on  this 
part  of  the  task  took  it  much  in  the  spirit  of  that  famous 
rider  who  "brought  the  good  news  from  Ghent  to  Aix." 
*'I  had  promised  Vemeuil,  130  kilometers  from  Bourges, 
that  I  would  take  them  three  films  on  a  certain  Friday," 
writes  one  woman.    "I  left  Bourges  in  the  flivver  at  1: 15 


"MOVIES  TONIGHT!"  229 

and  twelve  miles  out  the  car  refused  to  go.  I  walked  on 
to  St.  Just  where  I  phoned  to  the  Motor  Transport  Depart- 
ment, but  the  French  central  cut  us  off,  and  it  took  two 
hours  and  a  half  to  get  the  call  through  the  second  time. 
By  this  time  only  a  motorcycle  could  possibly  get  the  films 
to  Verneuil  in  time  for  the  boys."  Absolute  precision 
throughout  the  whole  organization  was  the  ideal.  If  this 
were  not  humanly  possible  under  the  circumstances,  yet 
the  Motion  Picture  Department  did  so  well  that  even  early 
in  its  service  Mr.  Ewing,  Chief  Y  M  C  A  Secretary  for 
Great  Britain,  said,  "It  is  the  best  organized  institution 
in  the  war  zone." 

From  the  commencement  of  active  operations  in  France 
the  motion  picture  played  a  dominating  part  in  the  sol- 
diers^ life.  When  the  Second  Division  went  into  its  first 
action  near  Mondidier  in  May,  sixty  motion  picture  out- 
fits were  operating  with  them  on  full  time,  with  the  cordial 
approval  of  General  Bundy.  One  of  the  screens,  which 
was  set  up  in  an  old  quarry,  is  still  preserved,  riddled  with 
German  shrapnel,  as  a  mute  testimony  to  how  far  up  to 
the  front  these  operators  carried  their  work.  When  the 
Germans  came  over  the  top  unexpectedly,  one  of  the  things 
they  were  likely  to  capture  was  a  motion  picture  outfit. 
At  Soissons,  during  the  bitter  fighting  in  May,  one  set 
of  films  changed  hands  three  times  and  was  a  prize  exhibit 
throughout  the  fighting  divisions  durmg  the  summer. 
The  movie  man  and  his  battered  Ford  followed  the  troops 
wherever  they  went  and  gave  shows  in  ruined  churches, 
in  gullies  and  old  quarries,  in  mills  and  abandoned  chateaux, 
in  the  underground  chambers  of  artillery  positions,  and 
on  the  whitewashed  walls  fronting  the  village  square. 
Often  these  movie  shows  were  given  before  groups  of  men 
lying  on  the  ground  just  out  of  action  and  too  tired  even 
to  stand  up.  The  operators  of  the  Third  Division  went 
with  these  troops  in  their  weary  march  to  the  Rhine,  setting 
up  their  screen  each  night. 


230  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

By  the  time  the  leave  areas  were  in  full  operation,  and 
the  Le  Mans  forwarding  camp  and  the  embarkation  ports, 
it  was  comparatively  easy  to  supply  these  regions  and 
the  cities,  though  it  still  meant  working  into  the  night, 
and  called  for  endless  persistency  and  ingenuity.  When 
the  Le  Mans  Area  was  at  its  height  there  were  about  thirty 
shows  a  day,  with  eighteen  trucks  busy  delivering  reels 
and  caring  for  machines,  and  a  force  working  from  ten 
in  the  morning  around  the  clock  till  three,  and  one  of  the 
office  women  always  ready  to  take  a  car  for  an  absent 
driver.  It  was  in  this  region  that  a  driver  came  late  into 
the  town  where  he  was  to  give  a  show.  The  officers  were 
away,  a  sergeant  in  command,  and  the  men  had  turned 
in.  Nothing  daunted,  the  secretary  asked  if  they  could 
not  be  "turned  out,''  which  they  promptly  were.  The 
machine  was  set  up  in  the  street,  a  screen  rigged  on  a  side 
of  a  barn,  and  ''those  crazy  Americans"  poured  out  of 
their  billets  for  a  performance.  The  comment  of  the  officers 
on  this  remarkable  proceeding  was  permission  to  the  sec- 
retary to  do  it  as  often  as  he  wished. 

In  the  French  villages  the  movie  machine  was  often 
set  up  in  the  market  place,  with  the  side  of  a  building  for 
a  screen,  and  the  entire  population  gathered  with  the 
soldiers.  This  outdoor  cinema  was  indeed  necessary  in 
the  villages,  for  many  of  the  French  country  folk  had  never 
before  seen  a  movie.  They  crowded  the  small  huts  to 
bursting,  leaving  little  room  for  soldiers,  yet  when  one 
saw  the  pleasure  this  gave  to  the  war-harried  people  one 
could  not  turn  them  away.  The  Third  Division  went 
with  these  troops  in  their  weary  march  to  the  Rhine,  setting 
up  their  screen  each  night. 

Outdoor  screens  were  not  the  only  makeshifts.  For 
instance,  with  the  Salvage  Department  at  Bordeaux  the 
only  chance  for  movies  was  when  some  portion  of  a  ware- 
house could  be  cleaned  out.  Whenever  such  a  moment 
arrived  the  garage  men,  whose  work  went  on  day  and 


"MOVIES  TONIGHT!"  231 

night,  turned  in  to  prepare  the  place.  Wherever,  as 
with  the  colored  battalions  at  Le  Rochelle,  work  went  on 
throughout  the  night,  movies  were  given  in  the  afternoon. 
As  to  hours,  the  one  unvarying  rule  that  the  Department 
followed  was  to  tuck  in  a  movie  wherever  men  had  time 
for  it.  When  the  Twenty-Eighth  Division  was  entraining 
at  Columbey-les-Belles,  it  was  learned  that  most  of  the 
men  would  probably  have  to  wait  hours  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  at  the  station.  Traveling  in  France  was  hard 
enough  at  best  for  soldiers,  and  the  enterprising  secre- 
taries who  appeared  on  the  scene  at  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  with  a  moving  picture  machine  competent  to  run 
until  five  in  the  morning,  had  a  warm  welcome. 

Perhaps   nowhere   did   the   cinema   do   better   than   at 
Romagne,  where  the  colored  troops  were  working  in  one 
of  our  great  cemeteries.    There  in  the  great  hangar,  where 
both  white  and  colored  men  gathered  to  forget  the  terri- 
ble tasks  of  the  day,  something  was  doing  every  night. 
Entertainers  came  twice  a  week,  perhaps,  but  if  there  were 
nothing   else,    there  were  movies   always.     At   Dom-sur- 
Meuse,  the  American  films  packed  with  khaki  the  theatre 
the  Germans  had  built  for  their  own  enjoyment.    At  the 
Marseilles  delousing  station,   where  the  boys  were  held 
a  week  away  from  their  comrades,  pictures  were  given 
nightly.     When   the  weather  permitted,   these  were  out 
of  doors  with  the  boys  perched  in  trees  and  on  the  bar- 
rack  roofs.    In  some  of  the  hospitals  and  in  the  sick  bays  \ 
of  the  transports  the  pictures  were  thrown  on  the  ceiling    ! 
for  the  men  in  the  beds,  while,  of  course,  they  were  every-   / 
where  supplied  in  connection  with  the  Red  Cross  for  pa-  j 
tients  who  could  be  moved  out  into  the  recreation  rooms.  • 
The  movies  on  the  transports  alone  deserve  a  whole  chap- 
ter to  themselves.     On  some  ships  they  began  at  six  in 
the  morning  and  ran  steadily  until  three  and  four  the  next 
morning,  so  that  all  shifts  and  ratings  could  see  them. 
Due  to  this  intensive  program,  there  were  actually  more 


232  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

separate  showings  on  shipboard  than  in  France  itself. 
A  curiously  varied  service  was  at  Mirimas,  where  the  "Y" 
supplied  a  British  detachment,  some  British  Indians,  a 
French  foyer,  a  foyer  for  the  Algerians,  a  Chinese  labor 
hut,  and  our  own  Knights  of  Columbus.  The  Chinese 
were  especially  interested  in  industrial  pictures  and  com- 
edies, and  as  they  could  not  read  the  legends  on  the  pic- 
tures, the  screen  was  hung  in  the  center  of  the  hall  and 
space  saved  by  seating  the  audience  on  either  side. 

With  the  Italian  Army  the  traveling  cinema  camion 
service  was  most  effective,  carrying  entertainment  out 
into  the  devastated  regions  where  no  other  diversion  was 
possible,  and  where  the  officers  were  as  keenly  eager  as  the 
men.  The  Polish  Legion  in  France  had  had  movies  along 
with  all  the  other  units,  and  when  in  March  they  arranged 
that  the  Y  M  C  A  secretaries  go  with  them  to  Poland, 
they  saw  to  it  that  a  full  cinema  equipment  and  men  to 
operate  it  were  included.  Films  were,  of  course,  being 
supplied  for  the  work  with  the  A.  E.  F.  in  Siberia, 
and  men  and  pictures  sent  to  aid  the  Americans  and 
British  in  that  dreariest  adventure  of  the  whole  War, 
that  in  Northern  Russia.  Here  the  machines  were  taken 
on  sledges  across  long  wastes  and  welcomed  at  isolated 
posts  with  an  appreciation  beyond  words.  The  effect  on 
the  Russians  who  saw  them  was  so  marked  that  one  of 
the  secretaries  wrote  asking  for  captions  in  Russian,  as  an 
incentive  to  illiterates  to  learn  to  read.  He  said,  '^In  my 
opinion  this  would  do  more  to  assist  the  rising  generation 
of  this  unfortunate  country  than  any  other  work  under- 
taken up  to  the  present  by  any  association  whatsoever.'' 

The  Department  was  early  in  the  business  of  produc- 
ing films  in  France  itself.  In  May  it  had  two  French  pho- 
tographers at  the  front.  In  October  it  was  asked  by  the 
Army  to  aid  the  Aviation  School  Office  in  the  taking  of 
pictures  of  aeroplanes  to  be  used  for  instruction  in  firing. 
Its  aid  had  been  asked  also  in  making  the  whole  Army 


"MOVIES  TONIGHT!"  233 

better  acquainted  with  the  work  of  the  S.  O.  S.  Out  of 
this  request  from  Headquarters  grew  one  of  the  most 
interesting  of  the  movie  activities,  *The  Overseas  Weekly," 
a  film  prepared  especially  with  the  idea  of  keeping  the 
soldiers  in  touch  with  events  in  the  War.  These  pictures 
were  for  the  most  part  taken  by  the  Signal  Corps,  and 
the  representative  of  the  Department  worked  in  that  office, 
choosing  films  and  making  the  programs,  directly  under 
the  officer  in  charge.  These  were  sent  out  each  week  with 
a  similar  film  on  current  events  in  the  United  States,  ^'The 
World  Today." 

First  of  all  in  popularity  and  morale-stiffening  quality, 
however,  were  the  wonderful  ''home  folks"  pictures,  organ- 
ized during  the  summer  of  1918  through  the  initiative  of 
the  Community  Bureau  and  with  the  cooperation  back 
in  America  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Information  and 
scores  of  newspapers  and  community  agencies  throughout 
the  country.  To  a  soldier  in  France  the  most  thrilling 
picture  he  could  fancy  would  be  a  scene  in  his  own  town. 
So  imagine  his  feelings  when  the  dream  really  came  true 
and  he  could  sit  in  a  hut  in  France  and  see  a  procession 
of  the  mothers  and  sisters  of  the  doughboys  in  his  own 
home  town  pass  across  the  screen,  and  yell  his  head  off 
as  his  mother  or  his  girl  waved  a  hand  of  greeting  at  him 
right  on  Main  Street  opposite  Joneses  drug  store.  A  pic- 
ture that  showed  the  ferry-boats  plying  about  New  York 
harbor  with  the  old  Statue  of  Liberty  rising  in  the  middle 
distance,  or  one  of  the  shop  girls  coming  out  of  the  Chicago 
department  stores  in  the  evening,  or  a  view  of  the  Golden 
Gate  or  Mobile  Bay,  or  the  squat  old  State  House  rising 
on  Beacon  Hill,  Boston — these  had  more  thrills  to  the 
foot  than  all  the  desperate  adventures  of  William  S.  Hart 
in  the  celluloid  Wild  West.  These  home  pictures  circulated 
among  the  Twenty-Sixth  Division,  for  instance,  which 
probably  had  the  world's  record  for  homesickness,  imtil 
they  were  literally  worn  out. 


234  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

j  Next  in  appeal  came  the  great  Charlie  ChapUn.  Every 
division  had  to  have  Charlie  just  so  often,  usually  at  inter- 
vals of  about  two  weeks,  and  in  size  of  audience,  noisy 
approval,  and  number  of  showings  throughout  France, 
it  must  be  conceded  that  he  beat  all  records. 

German  propaganda  films,  which  began  to  be  captured 
by  the  score  when  the  summer  drive  got  under  way,  con- 
stituted another  prime  attraction.  One  of  the  greatest 
of  these  was  a  picture  designed  to  prove  to  the  German 
I  Army  the  results  of  unrestricted  submarine  warfare,  but 
which  proved  nightly  to  thousands  of  American  soldiers, 
I  as  they  saw  one  good  ship  after  another  blown  to  a  terrible 
j  death  by  the  undersea  wolves  of  German  piracy,  the  urgent 
i    need  of  going  in  next  day  and  killing  more  Germans. 

One  of  the  movie  producers  made  it  especially  her 
business  to  search  out  ^'unadvertised  heroes,"  that  is, 
units  of  which  no  one  knew,  and  army  work  yet  unheralded. 
In  her  wanderings  she  came  across  a  row  of  ''75's"  on 
which  were  the  words  painted  in  red,  white,  and  blue, 
^ ^America's  first  shot." 

"What  does  this  mean?"  she  asked. 

"This  is  C  Battery,  6th  F.  A.,"  replied  a  soldier,  "and 
those  are  the  guns  with  which  we  fired  Americans  first  shot." 

"How  many  hundred  times  have  you  been  photo- 
graphed for  the  movies?" 

"Well,  Miss,  if  you  photograph  us,  it  will  make  our 
grand  total  one  time.  We've  never  even  looked  at  a  movie 
camera." 

America's  first  shot  was  fired  at  6:  05  a.  m.,  October  23, 
1917,  at  Limeville.  These  were  indeed  the  very  guns, 
and  no  picture  had  ever  been  taken  of  them. 

A  fine  example  of  the  many  educational  films  which 
were  prepared  is  that  on  Paris,  arranged,  as  the  producer 
said,  so  that  when  the  soldier  came  to  the  great  city,  "he 
should  be  prepared  to  find  in  it  the  beautiful  and  not  the 
ugly." 


"MOVIES  TONIGHT!"  235 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  staff,  surely  there  were 
no  welfare  workers  with  the  Army  better  paid  for  stren- 
uous days  and  often  strenuous  nights  than  those  of  the 
movie  staff.  They  worked  at  top  speed.  They  were  also 
under  pressure,  but  there  was  always  waiting  for  them  an 
eager  welcome,  while  never  were  there  more  amusing 
audiences  for  which  to  labor.  Before  the  entertainers 
soldier  frankness  was  kept  a  bit  in  check  by  some  holdover 
of  conventionality,  but  before  the  movies,  khaki  could 
say  what  it  pleased — and  it  did.  Joy  was  uproarious  when 
suddenly  some  recognized  scene  flashed  on  the  screen; 
cheers  welcomed  an  animal  in  a  circus  parade;  sobs  were 
likely  to  assist  an  over-sentimental  romance;  and  no  one 
forgets  such  evenings  as  that  where  the  advertised  villain 
of  the  play  chanced  to  be  the  machine  operator.  His  every 
appearance  on  the  screen  was  greeted  with  reproof,  execra- 
tion, jeers,  admonitions,  and  fatherly  advice,  that  made 
an  evening  funnier  than  any  ever  caused  by  Charlie  Chaplin. 

The  value  of  the  wartime  motion  picture  service  is, 
like  all  else  in  the  War,  impossible  to  compute.  Owing  to 
the  technical  training  of  this  personnel,  and  to  its  connec- 
tions, it  was  able  to  get  films  at  a  tremendous  saving.  Film 
producers  were,  for  the  most  part,  generous  in  their  arrange- 
ments, foregoing  their  film  rights  and  taking  payment 
only  for  the  use  of  the  films  themselves.  It  was  estimated 
that  this  meant  a  saving  of  $1,000,000.  Because  the  Bureau 
was  doing  the  work  without  profit,  it  was  able  to  rent 
films  at  from  ten  to  fifty  per  cent  below  the  commercial 
rates. 

Out  of  the  A.  E.  F.  in  France  alone  there  were  more 
than  94,000,000  men  in  movie  audiences.  Counting  in  j 
the  shows  given  in  the  United  States,  the  gross  attendance 
reached  more  than  210,000,000.  If,  as  under  ordinary 
conditions,  the  soldier  had  paid  a  minimum  admission 
fee,  say  of  fifteen  cents  a  show,  this  single  item  in  his  en- 
tertainment would  have  cost  him  the  trifle  of  $32,000,000. 


236  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Motion  Picture  Department  of  the 
'*Y"  actually  succeeded  in  giving  this  program  at  a  cost  of 
something  around  two  cents  per  show  per  man — and  this 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  was  administering  during  the 
War  a  moving  picture  business  forty  times  larger  than 
it  or  any  other  organization  had  ever  undertaken  in  the 
history  of  the  cinema  profession. 

The  value  of  the  service,  however,  lay  not  in  the  amount 
received  for  the  money,  though  that  under  the  conditions 
is  extraordinary;  it  lay  in  the  fact  that  the  movies  were 
on  the  spot,  whether  that  spot  were  a  San  Francisco  navy 
yard,  a  Scotch  lumber  camp,  or  a  French  village.  It  lay 
yet  more,  as  the  experience  of  the  first  months  in  France 
showed,  in  the  work  of  the  Editorial  Department  in  the 
choice  of  films,  and  in  the  prevention,  by  its  satisfactory 
service,  of  the  entrance  into  the  camps  of  the  purely  com- 
mercial movie  theatres.  Without  such  professional  service 
as  was  made  available,  this  could  hardly  have  been  pre- 
vented. Today  in  Germany  the  Bureau  is  still  with  the 
"Y,"  giving  a  thousand  shows  a  month  in  the  Rhineland  to 
the  Army  of  Occupation  in  Germany;  it  has  its  place  in 
every  army  camp  in  America  and  wherever  American 
soldiers  are.  In  other  words,  the  wartime  movie  service 
is  going  on.  It  is  one  of  the  enduring  features  of  the  enter- 
tainment experience  of  the  Great  War. 


CURTAIN 

Americans  have  grown  more  used  to  being  entertained 
and  less  used  to  entertaining  themselves  than  any  other 
people.     Take  five  million  young  men  away  from  home 
and  community  restraints  and,  no  matter  how  they  are  f 
drilled  and  hedged  about  with  rules  and  regulations,  the  ' 
time  will  come  when  all  but  a  few  of  the  most  exceptional  > 
individuals  will  seek  diversion.    The  history  of  war  is  that  j 
the  forms  of  diversion  which  have  followed  armies  did '. 
more  to  destroy  the  armies  than  did  the  actual  fighting. : 
From  the  days  of  the  Civil  War  and  the  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion those  interested  in  the  welfare  of  our  Army  have  been 
feeling  their  way  toward  some  solution  of  the  problem  of 
keeping  the  fighting  man  normal  under  abnormal  conditions. 

In  the  opinion  of  some  old-time  officers  and  of  some 
individuals  uninformed  on  all  the  conditions  of  the  soldier's 
life,  the  work  of  the  welfare  organizations  was  uncalled 
for  and  tended  to  coddle  those  who  should  be  above  such 
softening  influences.  That  the  real  military  leaders,  men 
like  Generals  March,  Pershing,  and  Wood,  were  not  of 
this  opinion  is  proved  by  repeated  orders  and  promulga- 
tions urging  the  proper  entertainment  of  soldiers.  They 
recognized  that  soldiers  were  not  super-men,  no  matter 
how  well  drilled  and  equipped,  but  were,  because  of  the 
deadly  monotony  of  drills  and  the  nerve-racking  of  active 
service,  in  greater  need  of  entertainment  than  the  amuse- 
ment-loving public  at  home. 

When  an  army  was  created  out  of  the  boys  of  our  own 
firesides,  the  folks  at  home,  the  welfare  organizations,  and 
the  generals  realized  that  our  soldiers  were  men  with  the 
same  needs,  the  same  wishes,  the  same  tastes  as  ourselves, 
but  that  there  would  be  none  of  the  old  ways  of  using 
leisure  and  that  many  of  them  would  be  thousands  of 
miles  from  home  under  new  conditions  in  strange  lands. 

237 


238  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

It  was  certain  that  these  millions  of  American  youths, 
whether  in  the  Army  or  out,  would  get  amusement.  They 
were  accustomed  to  games,  sports,  movies,  theatres,  music, 
athletics,  and  all  forms  of  recreation.  Our  business,  then, 
was  to  see  that  the  amusements  accessible  in  home  camps 
and  overseas  were  healthful  and  decent  as  well  as  enter- 
taining. 

The  American  people  were  willing  that  their  boys  should 
face  hardship  and  danger,  but  determined  that  they  should 
have  the  best  and  be  returned  sound  in  body  and  mind. 
It  was  this  resolution  which  put  public  opinion  back  of 
the  draft  and  made  it  a  democratic  and  successful  under- 
taking. Experiments  had  been  begim  in  connection  with 
the  British  and  French  Armies,  and  it  had  already  been 
proved  that  healthful  recreation  increased  men's  fighting 
power  and  willingness  to  carry  on.  The  testimony  of  all 
who  worked  with  the  soldiers,  and  of  their  officers,  as  well 
as  the  condition  in  which  our  troops  came  back,  proves 
the  correctness  of  this  theory  and  the  success  with  which 
it  was  carried  out. 

The  most  striking  example  of  the  effect  of  plenty  of 
the  right  sort  of  fun  is  shown  in  the  story  of  the  leave  areas. 
At  the  time  of  the  Armistice  we  had  overseas  2,000,000 
men.  The  greater  part  of  these  were  still  fresh  from  civilian 
life,  utterly  unused  either  to  army  discipline  or  to  travel. 
They  were  left  suddenly  without  any  object  for  their  labor. 
Their  task  was  done.  All  they  wanted  was  to  go  home. 
True  to  human  nature,  their  enthusiasm  for  their  hosts, 
the  French,  and  for  the  country  in  which  they  were  forced 
to  wait,  cooled.  The  French,  with  nerves  tense  after 
four  years  such  as  our  men,  even  those  who  had  been  in  the 
fighting  lines,  could  not  conceive  of,  were  tired  of  strangers 
in  their  streets.  They  wanted  to  see  the  last  of  British, 
Chinamen,  Indians,  Russians,  Portuguese,  and  Itahans, 
but  most  of  all,  they  wanted  to  see  the  last  of  Americans. 
Here  were  two  states  of  mind  that  bade  fair  to  make  a  fine 


"MOVIES  TONIGHT!"  239 

international  situation.  The  army  officers  asked,  not  for 
stricter  discipline,  but  for  movies,  athletics,  dances,  enter- 
tainments, sight-seeing  trips.  That  those  dangerous  months 
of  waiting  passed  off  safely  is  more  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  monotony  was  broken,  and  the  leisure  filled  by  all 
sorts  of  entertainment,  than  to  any  other  one  agency. 
We  all  know  how  our  boys  came  home  and  are  proud  of 
their  condition  and  the  way  they  readjusted  themselves 
to  civilian  life.  Officers  from  other  lands  watching  this 
undertaking  had  no  doubt  of  its  effect.  They  certainly 
had  no  sentimental  attitude  toward  their  men.  Yet  the 
Y  M  C  A  was  asked  to  introduce  or  to  continue  and  de- 
velop its  work  in  the  armies  of  Poland,  Portugal,  Roumania, 
Czechoslovakia,  and  Greece.  This  would  not  be  the  case 
were  not  the  military  and  civilian  authorities  of  these 
countries  convinced  that  such  entertainment  as  the  welfare 
organizations  provided  for  the  soldiers  in  France  made 
better  fighting  men  and  better  citizens.  And  our  own 
army  officers  are  of  the  same  belief.  The  case  has  been 
proved  under  actual  conditions.  Whether  it  is  carried  on 
by  welfare  organizations  or  the  Army  itself,  there  will 
always  be  entertainment  for  our  Army  because  of  the 
success  of  the  entertainment  campaign  in  the  Great  War. 


APPENDIX 


HEADQUARTERS  STAFF— NEW  YORK 

Overseas  Entertainment 
Thomas  S.  McLane,  Chairman 


Eimice  A.  Rogers 
Ruth  Buchenholz 
Helen  James 
Helen  Pratt 


Fanny  Baldwin 
Mary  Reiter 
Emily  O.  Nelson 
Madeline  B.  Campbell 


America's  Over  There  Theatre  League 


James  Forbes 
Johnson  Briscoe 


Virginia  Chauvenet 
Rose  Schiff 


HEADQUARTERS  STAFF— PARIS 


Dr.  J.  G.  Coulter 
Charles  Moore  Steele 
Walter  H.  Johnson,  Jr. 
Gerald  Reynolds 
A.  M.  Beatty 
Joseph  Lindon  Smith 
John  W.  Beattie 
Oswald  Yorke 
Carl  J.  BalUett 
Wm.  H.  DufF,  2nd. 
James  W.  Evans 
George  W.  Doyle 
C.  A.  Braider 
W.  H.  Caldwell 
C.  A.  Mayne 
A.  M.  Richards 
S.  H.  Crawford 
R.  N.  Henry 
J.  I.  Bond 
H.  M.  Collins 
James  Forbes 
T.  F.  Winters 


Jack  Gallagher 
Harold  Ross 
Marion  N.  T.  Carter 
Marian  M.  Haley 
Olive  Johnson 
Jane  M.  Thomas 
Edith  G.  Walker 
Linnie  Nuckolls 
Maude  Utter 
Florence  Goodell 
Enid  Watkins 
Louise  Overacker 
Sara  Furman 
Mme.  Vignon 
Mile.  Marcelle 
Elizabeth  Hugus 
Helen  Lucas 
Iva  Rider 
Josie  Ricks 
Myrtle  Ash 
Emita  Jewell 
Marion  Morse 
Gladys  Ross 
240 


APPENDIX 


241 


OVERSEAS  PERSONNEL 
Coaches  and  Producers 


Abbott,  Eleanor 
Acton,  Howard  L. 
Allen,  Mary 
Anderson,  E.  L. 
Anthony,  Charles  P. 
Armitage,  Laura  E. 
Armstrong,  Frank 

Bakewell,  Euphenia 
Ballam,  Frank 
Balliett,  Carl  J. 
Barkley,  J.  R. 
Beatty,  A.  M. 
Berkey,  Hilda  G. 
Berry,  Walter  M. 
Black,  Gladys 
Blandick,  Clara 
Blue,  John  D. 
Bressak,  Harry 
Brocklebank,  Blanche 
Buck,  J. 
Buxton,  Ethel 

Cameron,  E.  Malcolm 
Chamberlain,  Alice 
Chapman,  C.  J. 
Chesmond,  Dorothy 
Corey,  Madison 
Gushing,  C.  C.  S. 

Darrah,  Chas.  B. 
Davis,  F.  M. 
Donnelly,  Dorothy 
Duskkin,  Samuel 

Edwards,  G.  J. 
Evans,  James  W. 

Farquhar,  Marion 
Forbes,  James 

Gates,  Perle  E. 
Geoghegan,  Harold 
Glass,  Rose 


Goss,  Aletta 
Grimball,  Elizabeth 

Hall,  Eugene  J. 
Hathaway,  Louis  E. 
Henry,  Grace 
Hickox,  Laura  C. 
Hicks,  Lavelle 
Holmes,  Lucy  T. 
Howry,  Elizabeth 
Hudson,  Ava  B. 

Jack,  Edwin  Booth 
Jennings,  W.  L. 
Johnson,  Burgess 
Johnson,  Walter  H.,  Jr. 

Keith,  Edna  G. 
Kennedy,  Isabel  Parker 
Kennedy,  Katherine  F. 
Kimball,  Frederick 

Lamb,  Frances 
Leopold,  Fred 

McDonald,  Dinnie 

Mays,  Ora  Lea 
Moore,  Elbert 
Moore,  Olive 

Nash,  John  W. 

Pabst,  Norman 
Porter,  Chas.  R. 
Pumell,  Anna 

Quinn,  Esther 

Rawlinson,  H.  E. 
Rochford,  W.  H. 

Sage,  Helen  Amelia 
Scherer,  Maud 
Schuler,  Mabel  R. 


242 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


Coaches  and  Producers — Continued 


Schumaker,  Edwin  Bolden 
Sedgwick,  Mary  L. 
Sherry,  Laura 
Shipp,  Clark 
Smith,  Jos.  Lindon 
Smithfield,  Geo.  F. 
Steele,  John  Moore 
Stevens,  Thos.  Wood 
Stillman,  Lila  B. 
Stubblefield,  Henry  T. 
Swinburne,  L.  T. 

Tappen,  C.  S. 
Tichenor,  Juanita 
Truax,  Harry  A. 
Twyman,  James 
Tyler,  Dallas 

Velsey,  Graham 


Walters,  Sara 
Wand,  Clarence  Cary 
Waters,  Wilford 
Weadon,  Frank  P. 
Wermer,  Blanche  H. 
White,  Jessie 
White,  W.  A. 
Wilkes,  Willamene 
Willard,  Aleeth 
Williams,  Florence 
Williams,  Orlin  M. 
Williams,  W.  E. 
Wilson,  Hugh 
Witte,  Parvin 
Witts,  Milford 
Woolston,  F.  Pate 

Young,  Jane  H.  G. 


Lyceum 


Adams,  Guila 
Adams,  Lucille 
Alexander,  Enid 
Allen,  Martha  Marie 
Allen,  Maud 
Anderson,  Harry  N. 
Arnold,  Beattie  D. 
Arnold,  Pauline 
Atlee,  Carolyn 
Aves,  Ethelreda 
Avirett,  Donnell 

Bailey,  Marguerite 
Barber,  Jane 
Bargeldt,  Evelyn 
Bamhard,  Agnes 
Bartlett,  Hazel 
Bassett,  Ella  May 
Beatty,  Earl 
Beatty,  Roberta 
Beatty s,  Adele  M. 
Beaudry,  Maud 
Beckwith,  Florence 
Benjamin,  Wm.  A. 


Bennett,  Eva  L. 
Bennett,  Helen  F. 
Bertram,  Helen 
Besler,  Helen 
Betz,  Joseph 
Bewley,  Irene 
Bingham,  May 
Blackney,  Frances 
Blake,  Wm.  H. 
Bloomquist,  Myrtle 
Boardman,  Wm.  J. 
Bohannon,  Jean 
Bohannon,  Ord 
Bolander,  AUce 
Bolander,  Elise 
Bolander,  Mabel 
Bolander,  Pearl 
Booth,  Maud  Ballington 
Bourne,  Olive  E. 
Bowcock,  Evie  Lee 
Bowman,  Billie  Miss 
Boyd,  Hilda 
Bradley,  Frank 
Bradley,  Lucie 


APPENDIX 


243 


Lyceum — Continued 


Brovm,  Dorothy  Spencer 
Buchbinder,  Lucy 
Bulley,  Carolyn 
Bumstead,  Gladys  P. 
Burr,  Borden 
Bush,  Charlotte 

Call,  Dora 
Call,  Lucy  Lee 
Call,  Zela 
Cameron,  Mary 
Capelle,  Angle 
Carpenter,  Elizabeth 
Carpenter,  Laura 
Carr,  Joe 
Carroll,  Elsa 
Carstensen,  Amelia 
Carter,  Annie  Louise 
Carter,  Maybelle 
Case,  Chas. 
Chester,  Randolph 
Chester,  Lillian 
Chisolm,  Jessie 
Chivvis,  Ruth 
Christie,  Joe 
Churchill,  Estelle 
Clark,  Marguerite 
Clinton,  Margery  H. 
Coates,  Helen  J. 
Cobb,  Fredericka 
Cogswell,  Mynn 
Cole,  Alonzo  D. 
Coleman,  Margaret 
Colet,  Madeline 
Collette,  Lucille 
Combs,  A.  B. 
Collins,  Ernest  C. 
Condit^  Albert  Rae 
Cookingham,  Edna 
Corey,  Gladys  M. 
Cowperthwaite,  Alfred 
Cox,  Edw.  Eugene 
Cox,  Maybelle 
Cox,  Mary 
Crabb,  Addison  W. 


Craig,  Jeannie 
Critcherson,  Samuel 
Crofoot,  Beulah 
Crosby,  Anna  Gertrude 
Crosby,  C.  Zelia 
Culbertson,  Sascha 

Dalgren,  Ada 
Damon,  Vera 
Dana,  Marion 
Daniel,  E.  P. 
Davis,  Eliz.  G. 
Davis,  Maida 
Davies,  Jos. 
Dealy,  Creswell 
Dean,  Lulu  Richardson 
Dilling,  Mildred 
Dillon,  Jane 
Draper,  Ruth 
Dudley,  Ruth 
Dunham,  Herbert 
Duval,  Marguerite 

Earle,  Hetty 
Easton,  Elsie 
Edgar,  Elizabeth  W. 
Edgar,  Geraldine 
Eichom,  Anna 
Enmierson,  Mary 
Emery,  J.  C. 
Euwer,  Anthony 
Evans,  Cannon 
Evans,  Mildred 
Everett,  Geo.  I. 

Farley,  Gilbert  C. 
Famsworth,  Jessie 
Faulkner,  Georgene 
Fay,  J.  W. 
Field,  Josephine 
Fisher,  Ethel 
Flesh,  Chas.  E. 
Ford,  Gene 
Foster,  Bertha 
Foster,  Frohman 


244 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


Lyceum— Continued 


Fox,  Lois 
Frost,  Alfred 


Gailey,  Mary 
Gale,  Albert 
Galloway,  Judge  Tod  B. 
Gardner,  Stephen 
Garton,  S.  B. 
Gasaway,  Adelaide 
Gates,  Harriet  May 
Geffen,  Yetta 
Gemmill,  Chas.  Walker 
Genunill,  Paul 
Gill,  Ruth  Dudley 
Gilliam,  Florence 
Ginn,  Clara  T. 
Girton,  Eleanor  M. 
Godfrey,  Mildred 
Gold,  Pauline 
Goodrich,  Gertrude  D. 
Goodsell,  Virginia 
Gordon,  Mary  Belle 
Gorrell,  Edith  Tilton 
Grey,  Clara 
Griffin,  Elizabeth 
Gross,  Estelle 

Haggerty,  Elizabeth 
Hall,  Jeanne 
Hall,  Opal 

Harbeson,  Lindamira 
Hardy,  Lois 
Harney,  Eleanor 
Harrison,  Fred  W. 
Harrison,  Inez 
Hartman,  June 
Harvey,  Maleva 
Hass,  E.  M. 
Hatch,  Dorothy 
Hausman,  S.  A. 
Hays,  Estelle  B. 
Hedges,  Freddie 
Hemmick,  Marie 
Hiltebrandt,  Elsa 
Hinton,  Ethel 


Hoatson,  Jack 
Hoes,  Adele 
Holtzschue,  Mabel 
Hope,  Barbara 
Howard,  Clarence  H. 
Howe,  Chas.  E. 
Howe,  Chas.  M. 
Howe,  R.  T. 
Howe,  Warren  T. 
Hoyt,  Frances 
Hoyt,  Grace 
Hubbard,  Chas. 
Hughes,  Anna 
Hulbert,  Winifred 
Hull,  Margaret 
Humphrey,  Cora 
Huntington,  Blanche 
Huntington,  Catherine  S. 
Hutchinson,  Elizabeth  P. 
Hutton,  Hugh 

Irvin,  Frances 
Irwin,  Chas.  Jasper 
Irwin,  Robert 

Jack,  Julia 
Jackson,  Lillian 
Jackson,  Mary 
Janauschek,  Wm. 
Jerge,  J. 

Johnson,  Burgess 
Jones,  Mrs.  Paul 
Jones,  Wm.  S. 
Jordan,  Elizabeth 

Kasner,  Diana 
Kendall,  Marie 
Keniston,  Wilhemena 
Kennedy,  Pearl  M. 
Kennedy,  Will  J. 
Keppie,  Elizabeth 
Kerns,  Grace 
Kilboum,  Henry  J. 
Kimmel,  Frank  S. 
Knapp,  Harold 


APPENDIX 


246 


Lyceum — Continued 


Knight,  Robert  F. 
Konecny,  Josef 
Kova,  Garda 

Landon,  Cornelia 
Lanham,  Cora  Belle 
Lawry,  Justin 
Lawry,  Winifred 
LeRoy,  Merritt 
Lewis,  Chas.  Allen 
Lewis,  Julia  B. 
Lewis,  Lottie 
Lineback,  C.  A. 
Littlefield,  Edith  Gould 
Loar,  Lloyd  A. 
Lord,  Marguerite 
Lord,  Marion 
Lorraine,  Joe 
Lucas,  Charlotte 
Lyon,  Roger 

McAdams,  Ivy 
McCain,  Leoda 
McCartney,  Eliz 
McClure,  Emily 
MacCue,  Beatrice 
McDermott,  Mary 
McGehee,  Ethel 
McGreal,  Roberta 
Mack,  Archie  Roy 
McKay,  Mary  Elizabeth 
McLinn,  Ruby 
McKnight,  Alex  G. 
McSweeney,  Margaret 
Maddox,  Betty 
Mathews,  Muriel 
Maydwell,  Mary  Alice 
Mayer,  Viola 
Merritt,  J.  A. 
Miller,  Jeanne 
Monaghan,  Robert 
Montgomery,  Mina  Belle 
Moore,  Earle  A. 
Morris,  Kathleen 
Morris,  Mildred 


Morrison,  Margery 
Munson,  Margaret 
Murray,  Bonnie 

Nattkemper,  Leonard  G. 
Nelson,  Florence 
Newell,  Fenwick 
Newell,  Mary  J. 
Neumam,  Herman 
Niedringhaus,  Wallace  C. 

Odell,  Cornelia 
Olp,  Lou  S. 
Owens,  Hughetta 

Palmer,  George 
Parker,  Harry  E. 
Parker,  Salem 
Parkhurst,  Anita 
Parmalee,  Cleo 
Parmenter,  Edward  C. 
Parnell,  Charles  T. 
Paine,  Cordelia  Ayer 
Payne,  Howard  M. 
Payne,  John  Howard 
Payne,  Sally  Landis 
Pierik,  Marie 
Pike,  Carolyn 
Pearce,  Corinne 
Pease,  Edward 
Pease,  Zuelettia 
Peckham,  Charlotte 
Perkins,  Lois 
Peters,  A.  N. 
Pettit,  Gladys 
Powell,  Rosa  C. 
Pratt,  Charles  F. 
Price,  Katherine  G. 
Price,  John  W. 
Provan,  John  S. 

Quay,  Gertrude 
Quincy,  Samuel 

Rachford,  Hugh  K. 
Ramsey,  Lillian 


246 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AM^ERICAN  ARMY 


Lyceum — Continued 


Raymond,  Harold  A. 
Raymond,  Katharine 
Reynolds,  Sarame 
Redell,  Harry 
Redfield,  Florence  A. 
Rees,  May  E. 
Reiner,  May  Louden 
Revare,  Edna 
Rich,  Gladys 
Richards,  Helen 
Richards,  Irene 
Richardson,  C.  O. 
Ricker,  Bessie  B. 
Robertson,  Alice 
Robertson,  Genevieve 
Robertson,  Olive  F. 
Robertson,  Robert 
Rogers,  Calista 
Rogers,  Faith  Helen 
Rogers,  Francis 
Rogers,  Cornelia  B. 
Rogers,  Mabel 
Rogh,  Charles 
Romans,  Beth 
Rose,  Jonsa  Jonga 
Ross,  Roxana 
Rossuck,  Ruth 
Rubel,  Edith 
Rundquist,  Ethel 
Rutherford,  Althea  J. 
Rutherford,  Forrest  S. 
Ryan,  Ruth 

Saleeman,  T.  J. 
Satterfield,  Alyce  Lee 
Scales,  Carmon 
Scandrett,  Rebecca 
Schochm,  Arminta 
Schwinn,  Rose  N. 
Scott,  Edith  H. 
Scotty,  Jack 
Scudder,  Janet 
Sears,  Aline 
Seller,  Mary 
Selby,  Ida  M. 


Selby,  L.  J. 
Selby,  Pearl 
Shafer,  Claude 
Shanklin,  Malvena 
Shields,  Milan 
Shirey,  R.  W. 
Shirley,  Frances 
Shoemaker,  Frances 
Shurtleff,  Oliver 
Smart,  Henry  C. 
Smith,  Dorothy 
Smith,  Elma 
Smith,  Em.  E. 
Smith,  Helen  E. 
Smith,  Marie 
Smith,  Norma  L. 
Smith,  William  P. 
Smythe,  A.  H. 
Soares,  Geraldine 
Southall,  Patty 
Souvaine,  Henry 
Spaulding,  Art 
Spear,  Helen  M. 
Spencer,  Laura  Zoe 
Stanley,  James 
Stanley,  Eleanor 
Stark,  Robert 
Steel,  John  W. 
Stelzel,  Charles  F. 
Stephenson,  Elsie 
Stevenson,  I.  C. 
Stirling,  Robert 
Strong,  Theo. 
Strong,  Walter  W. 
Struble,  Marion 
Struder,  Mabel 

Tabor,  Robert 
Teale,  Agnes  R. 
Thayer,  Maud 
Thomas,  Sara 
Thompson,  Alex. 
Thompson,  R.  R. 
Thorp,  Evelyn  L. 
Threadgill,  Lois 


APPENDIX 


247 


Thrower,  Theresa 
Tibbitts,  Beatrice 
Todd,  NelHe 
Torrence,  Marie 
Towne,  Charles  W. 
Townsend,  Betty 
Townsend,  Ellen 
Trevett,  Frances  L. 
Tromley,  E.  L. 
Truitt,  Beulah 
Tuttle,  Ada 
Tuttle,  Nina 

Waddell,  Elizabeth 
Wakeman,  Alice 
Walker,  Clifford 
Walker,  Corinne 
Walker,  Lucille 
Wallace,  Martha 
Wallace,  Wm.  G. 
Walter,  R.  B. 
Ward,  Elizabeth 
Washburn,  Carolyn 
Washburn,  Eleanor 


Waters,  Crystal 
Watkins,  Katryn 
Webster,  Harold 
Weller,  Beatrice 
White,  Harry  C. 
White,  Mary 
White,  Winifred 
Whittemore,  Eleanor 
Williamson,  Marj'^  Ruth 
Willmer,  Sarah  M. 
Wilson,  Inez 
Wilson,  M.  J. 
Woblert,  Louise  D. 
Wolcott,  Helen  L. 
Wood,  Elizabeth 
Wood,  Ellerbe 
Woodberry,  Frances 
Woodfin,  Alice 
Woodward,  Roy 
WooUey,  Robert 
Wyatt,  Arthur  K. 

Yeager,  Edith 


Musical 


Adkins,  Morton 
Adler,  David 
Armand,  Alfred 

Benton,  Ruth 
Brice,  Elizabeth 

Coburn,  Vera  Ross 
Coffey,  Louise 
Colley,  Helen 
Condon.  Kate 

Dallas,  Gertrude     - 
Davis,  Helen 

Elbert,  Tracey 
Ewell,  Lois 


Gold,  Belle 
Golden,  Frances 

Hand,  Hinda 
Hoban,  Stella 
Humphreys,  Neida 
Hunt,  Ida  Brook 

Janis,  Elsie 
Jarman,  Margaret 

Lane,  Camille  Seygard 
Larkin,  Carolyn 
Lyon,  Wanda 

McGibney,  Mignon 
May,  Ida 


Frease-Green,  Rachel 


Perry,  Fayette 


248 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


Reed,  Elsa 
Rogers,  Eleanore 

Sehaeffer,  Marion 


Musical — Continued 

Sweyd,  Lester 
Temple,  Paula 
White,  Tommy 


Allen,  Edward 
Aug,  Edna 

Bamicoat,  Betty 
Barry,  Tom 
Baxter,  Alice 
Boland,  Mary 
Bourne,  Olive 
Brown,  Marlyn 
Burke,  Fan 

Carrington,  Phyllis 
Chobb,  Bronwen 
Clear,  Charles  M. 
Clifton,  Ethel 
Craig,  John 
Craig,  Mary  Young 
Crane,  Hal 
Curley,  Leo 

Dale,  Theresa  Malloy 
Dale,  Walter 
Davis,  Maida 
Diffendel,  John 
Dodge,  Jeanne 
Dupree,  Minnie 

Emmons,  Gladys 
Esmelton,  Frederick 

Falls,  Marie 
Fisher,  Grace 
Fitts,  Harriett 
Fleming,  Charles 
Florence,  Katherine 
Fuller,  Rosalind 
Fullum,  Dewey 

Garland,  Ruth 
Goff,  Helen 


Dramatic 


Grant,  Jeannette 
Grigg,  Harold 
Guthrie,  AHcia 
Guy,  Eula 

Henley,  Rosina 
Harris,  Sidney  A. 
Haslett,  Doris 
Hamilton,  Louise 
Hampton,  Mary 
Hawthorne,  Milton 

Ives,  Judith 

Jones,  Nancy  Gordon 

Kennedy,  H.  Bratton 
Kimball,  Florence  P. 

Lawton,  Mary 
Leake,  Doris 
Linwell,  Delia 

McComas,  Carol 
Mcintosh,  Burr 
Mackey,  Ralph 
McMein,  Neysa 
McMillan,  Lida 
Martin,  Alice 
Martin,  Ethel 
Mates,  Harry  J. 
Mayo,  Margaret 
Meredith,  Lois 
Miles,  Homer 
Milliken,  Ralph 
Mitchell,  Mabel  Ruth 
Montgomery,  Victoria 
MulUcan,  Charles  M. 
Mulligan,  William  F. 


APPENDIX 


249 


Dramatic — Continued 


O'Connor,  Patricia 

Paige,  Elizabeth 
Paterson,  Agnes 
Perry,  Albert 
Powell,  Charles  F. 

Raymond,  Jack 
Read,  Charlotte  L. 
Roach,  John  F. 
Rocap,  Read 
Rochester,  Mary  Xouise 
Rowe,  John 

Schenck,  Katherine 
Scott,  Helen 
Seymour,  Blanche 
Shields,  Sidney 
Sitgreaves,  Beverly 
Smith,  George  Porter 
Smith,  Rita 
Sothern,  E.  H. 
Sothem,  Julia  Marlowe 
Sterling,  Harriet 


Storey,  Jack 
Sullivan,  Gerald 
Sumner,  Margaret 

Tannerhill,  Muriel 
Tanner,  Marion 
Taylor,  Ethel 
Tinmions,  Irene 
Troutman,  Ivy 
Truesdale,  Fred  C. 
Tyler,  Annette 
Tyler,  Dallas 
Wallace,  Hugh  E. 
West,  Madge 
Whitson,  Pauline 
Williams,  Fritz 
Williams,  Margot 
Wilson,  Mary  Lena 
Wyatt,  Alice  Bertha 

York,  Oswald 
Young,  Walter 
Young,  Winifred 


Concert 


Adams,  Edgell 
Aehle,  Elsie 
Albert,  Minerva 
Aldridge,  Rachel 
Ayres,  Paula 

Babcock,  Lucie 
Baird,  Martha 
Baldwin,  Marie 
Barr,  Winifred 
Barstow,  Vera 
Benham,  Emily 
Bierly,  Neva 
Bolton,  Mary 
Botsford,  George 
Brazeau,  Marie 
Brazeau,  Henrietta 
Brockway,  Helen 


Brown,  Pauline 
Browne,  Kathryn 
Bush,  Ruth 

Cannell,  Frank 
Carey,  Florence 
Carkeek,  M.  T. 
Case,  E.  Romayne 
Chesley,  A.  M. 
Corbin,  LeRoy 
Coulter,  Joe 
Craig,  Mary  Adeline 
Gushing,  C.  C.  S. 

Damrosch,  Walter 
David,  Ross 
David,  Mrs.  Ross 
Davies,  Jos. 


250 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


Con  cert — Continued 


Devereaux,  Marie 
DeVore,  Jessie 
Dickinson,  Ruth 
Dismukes,  Cornelia 
Dixon,  Jessica 
Dodge,  Beulah  Chase 
Donn,  Betty- 
Dowdy,  Leta  Clark 
Duddy,  Frank 

Everett,  George  I. 
Everts,  E.  B. 
Ewing,  Grace 

Farrar,  Amperito 
Farrar,  Guadalupa 
Ferguson,  Helen 
Ferguson,  Israel  Harry 
Ferguson,  Sara 
Flood,  Paul  T. 
Frost,  Avon 

Gamble,  Ernest 
Gideon,  Constance 
Gideon,  Henry 
Gluck,  Margel 
Glynn,  Madeline 

Harris,  Floyd 
Hartwell,  Josephine 
Harvey,  Harold 
Hasbrouch,  Elsie 
Haynes,  Dorothe 
Hearons,  Anna 
Hearons,  Winifred 
Hibbard,  Susan 
Hibbard,  William 
Hixon,  Blanche 
Hoople,  William 
Horisberg,  Kate  R. 
Hunter,  Ruth 

Irving,  Lydia  Isabel 

Jacobs,  Irene 


Jarett,  Daniel 
Jones,  Edward  C. 

Karla,  Constance 
Kessel,  Helen 
Klein,  Nell  J. 
Kuhn,  Aline 
Kurtz,  Ada 

Laughlin,  Flora 
Lee,  Jack 

Los  Kamp,  Virginia 
Lippi,  Edward 
Luckey,  Ann 

McLinn,  Ruth 
Mackey,  Ethel 
Marple,  Harriett 
Mead,  Frank  L. 
Meek,  Edith 
Meek,  Edward 
Moore,  Jason 
Mullen,  Mary  White 
Myers,  Edith  Luckstone 

Noar,  Adeline  Patti 

Oglesby,  Frank 
Oliver,  William  M. 
Ormsby,  Ethel 

Packard,  Adeline 
Paulsen,  Hortense 
Planel,  M. 
Plasschaert,  Camille 
Porter,  Marguerite 
Poston,  C.  E. 
Potter,  Florence 
Present,  Rata 
Prosser,  Eunice 

Rabinowitz,  Clara 
Randolph,  Muriel 
Rea,  Ethel 
Rosser,  Catherine 


APPENDIX 


251 


Concert — Continued 


Schupac,  Marcia 
Scott,  Grace  L. 
Sellers,  Samuel  Nelson 
Smith,  Jack 
Stanley,  James 
Stanley,  Eleanor 
Starkey,  Julia  Meade 
Stevens,  Nella 
Stucki,  Enmia 
Sybert,  Marie 

Thomas,  Edna 
Tilson,  George 


Tris,  Mary  Adelaide 
Tsianina,  Princess 
Tuttle,  Jane 

Walsh,  Marie 
Watkins,  Enid 
Watson,  Edward 
Weston,  Isabel 
Weston,  Mary 
Whitehead,  Frank 
Wiederhold,  Albert 
Wilson,  Margaret 


Vaudeville 


Abbott,  Annie 
Adams,  Mabelle 
Adams,  Rex 
Adams,  Berta  Bell 
Addison,  Mae 
Adler,  Harry 
Anderson,  Christopher 
Arica 

Arnold,  Hazel 
Arnold,  Pauline 
Aubrey,  Helen 
Aubrey,  Jane 
Austin,  Tossing 

Bailey,  Bill 

Baker,  Patricia 

Baldwin,  John 

Bannister,  Joe 

Barber,  Jane 

Bartell,  Harry 

Bell,  Arthur 

Bell,  Leah 

Black,  Edward  B.  Flester 

Blondell,  Libby  Arnold 

Bloom,  Irving 

Bluefeather,  Princess 

Bordeau,  Sim 

Boston,  Billy 

Bradbrook,  Geo.  E, 


Broad,  Billy 
Brown,  Dixie 
Brown,  Himmie 
Buford,  Blanche 
Buford,  Ina 
Burke,  Eddie 
Bums,  Billy 
Bums,  Eleanor 

Campbell,  John 
Cantwell,  John 
Carlton,  Louise 
Carlyle,  Louise 
Carman,  F.  Barrett 
Carrette,  Bessie 
Carter,  Jack 
Caveny,  J.  Franklin 
Caveny,  Marie 
Chalbert  the  Great 
Chalfonte,  Lola 
Chaplin,  Arthur 
Chase,  Frank 
Childs,  Emily 
Churcher,  Anita 
Claire,  Josephine 
Clark,  Solomon  H. 
Clifford,  George 
Clyde,  Ora 
Coe,  Edward 


252 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


Vaudeville — Continued 


Coe,  Lillian 
Collins,  Howard  T. 
Corbin,  Gilmore 
Coulter,  Theo. 
Cowley,  Frederick  K. 
Cressy,  Will 
Cristle,  Joe 
Cudlipp,  Chandler 
Cunningham,  Elizabeth 

Dacey,  Billy 
Daly,  Mary 
Darcy,  Harry 
Dayne,  Blanche 
Dell-a-Phone 
Delroy,  J.  B. 
De  Mar,  May 
De  Mont,  Frank 
De  Mont,  Gracia 
Denish,  Paul 
Dermotti,  Thos. 
Deumm,  Hettie 
Deyo,  Howard  N. 
Deyo,  Jeane 
Dietrich,  Rene 
Doherty,  Leo.  Jos. 
Doherty,  Mrs.  Viola 
Donnelly,  Leo 
Downing,  Arthur 

Edwards,  Jack 
Egan,  Joe 
Elliott,  Agnes 
Elliott,  Del 
Elliott,  Edna 
Elwood,  Robert  J. 
Erickson,  Knute 
Evans,  Jean 

Fein,  Laurence 
Findlay,  Al 
Fischer,  Arthur 
Fivey,  Robert  W. 
Florence,  Katherine 
Frances,  Corinne 


Franklin,  Irene 
Fredriks,  Eddie 
Freeman,  AUyne  N. 

Gardner,  A.  F. 
Gardner,  Dave 
Gibson,  Gertrude 
Gilmour,  Boyd  J. 
Golden,  Mabel 
Goode,  Nat. 
Gray,  Thos.  J. 
Green,  Burt 
Gregory,  Gilbert 
Guder,  Carl 

Haber,  Eleanor 
Haley,  Harry 
Hall,  Jack 
Hanson,  Jack 
Harrington,  Jean 
Haslam,  Hazel 
Hawley,  Walter 
Hayes,  Pauline 
Hazelton,  Faynetta 
Herbert,  Roy 
Hoier,  Thos. 
Horton,  Amy 
Howard,  Clara 
Hubbard,  Nona 
Hunting,  Tony 
Hutchinson,  Mary  L. 
Hutton,  Forrest 

Irwin,  James 
Israel,  Harry 

Jackson,  Jerome 
James,  Ada  G. 
Johnson,  Dave 

Kayne,  Agnes 
Kellogg,  Mary  H. 
Kelly,  James  F. 
Kennedy,  John  J. 
Kessler,  Mae 


APPENDIX 


253 


Vaudeville — Continued 


Kinsley,  Frederick 
Kouns,  Nellie 
Kouns,  Sara 

La  Tour,  Catherine 
Laurence,  George 
Laurence,  Jack 
Laurence,  Thelma  ^ 
La  Violete,  Victor 
Lazell,  Milly 
Lea,  Will 
Leonard,  Bessie 
Leonard,  Mike 
Lemer,  David 
Lewis,  Andru 
Lile 

Link,  Pauline 
Lombard,  John 
Lombard,  Richard 

McCrea,  Lottie 
McCuUough,  Wm.  T. 
McDonald,  Madeline 
McFarland,  Marie 
McFarland,  Mary 
Mcintosh,  John 
Mclver,  Daniel  C. 
Mack,  Joseph  P. 
Mackay,  J.  Wallace 
Maine,  Lucy 
Maillard,  Chas. 
Maillard,  Fred 
Manley,  Walter 
Marshall,  Edward 
Mills,  Phil 
Mills,  Volney  Ladd 
Mohonga,  Sergeant 
Montgomery,  James  S. 
Moore,  George  A. 
Moran,  Hazel 
Morris,  Bertha 
Moms,  Billy 
Morrison,  Maurie 
Morrissey,  Will 
Moulton,  Bessie 


Murley,  Josephine 

Neumann,  John 
Nicola,  The  Great 
Northland,  Edna 
Northlane,  OUie 
Norton,  Helen 

O'Brien,  James  E. 
O'Clare,  Wm. 
O'Clare,  Madeline  S. 
O'Zav,  Annie 
O'Zav,  William 

Paley,  Herman 
Palmer,  Olive 
Paul,  Eddy 
Perry,  Harry 
Pierson,  Hal 
Pollack,  Emma 
Porray,  Edmund 
Pryor,  Ethel 
Pryor,  Wm. 
Primrose,  Helen 
Primrose,  Louise 

Ramsey,  Lillian 
Raymond,  Catherine 
Rhodes,  Russell  M. 
Riano,  Jack 
Rice,  Lew 
Ride,  Wille  E. 
Roberts,  Annie  N.  M. 
Rochester,  Claire 
Rogers,  Jonathan 
Roger,  Charles 
Ronca,  Dora 
Root,  Esther 

Sanders,  Edith 
Sanford,  Jerry 
Saltonstall,  Rose 
Sargent,  Mamie 
Savoie,  Blanche 
Sears,  Gladys 


254 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 


Sherman,  Paula 
Skeel,  Ruth 
Snow,  Bert 
Spink,  George 
Stanford,  Max 
Stead,  Sue 
Storm,  Joan 
Storts,  Grace 
Storts,  Harvey  D. 
Sturtevant,  Adele 

Tabor,  Stuart 
Tan  (May  E.  Flester) 
Tanean,  Harry 
Tate,  Helen 
Teed,  James  W. 
Temple,  Irene 
Thomas,  Vera 
Townley,  Phillip 

Underwood,  Will  Lea 

Van  Tine,  Ida 
Vaughn,  Minnie 


Vaudeville — Continued 

Verdon,  Frank 
Verdon,  Vera 


Waldo,  R.  L. 
Waldron,  Joe 
Walker,  Reta 
Walker,  Raymond 
Walter,  Annie 
Walton,  Beulah 
Warwick,  George  H. 
Wheelock,  Esther 
Whitell,  Ermine 
Wilber,  Jack 
Willard,  Clarence  E. 
Williams,  Dorothy 
Woillard,  Hazel 
Woodbridge,  Margaret  H. 
Woodelton,  Jane 
Wrenn,  Helen 
Wright,  Horace 

Yvette 

Zenita 


Lecturers 


Anderson,  John  F. 
Appley,  Jose  E. 
Atkinson,  William  Dent 

Babb,  J.  Franklin 
Bakewell,  Euphemia 
Bamett,  Augustus  Edw. 
Beckwith,  Floyd  J. 
Beene,  Dow  Bunyon 
Billingsley,  Dr.  James  J. 
Bingham,  Guy  M. 
Boyer,  Edw.  E. 
Brown,  Frank  E. 

Cambridge,  Dr.  Arthur  A. 
Candler,  Walter  E. 
Carman,  J.  Ernest 
Cave,  Robert  Lord 


Cochran,  Fred 
Cochran,  I.  M. 
Cockrell,  Ewing 
Cook,  J.  Hunt 
Curry,  Elvin  J. 

Dancey,  Capt.  S.  H. 
Deans,  Dr.  John 
Dixon,  Royal 
Downs,  Geo.  W. 

Eason,  Isaac  W. 
Eason,  Samuel  R. 
Eliot,  Willard  Ayres 
Estabrook,  Nina 

Gale,  Albert  A. 
Gibson,  Lemuel  E. 


APPENDIX 


255 


Grant,  My  ran  Louise 
Grimes,  Frederic 
Grose,  Arthur  W. 


Lecturers — Continued 

Perry,  Edw.  Russell 

Risner,  Henry  Clay 


Halsey,  Don  Peters 
Hamilton,  Frank  M. 
Hildreth,  Melvin  D. 
Hulbert,  Homer  B. 
Hussey,  Dr.  John  M. 

Ice,  William  Edward 

Kelley,  Frank  B. 
Kilbourne,  Henry  J. 
Kline,  A.  D. 
Kuonen,  E.  M. 

La  Follette,  William 

MacNeil,  Alan  B. 
Mansfield,  Beatrice 
Mathed,  E.  T. 

Oldys,  Henry 

Palmer^  Asher  F. 


Snudden,  Benj.  D. 
Spencer,  E.  W. 
Spencer,  Wm.  S. 

Taft,  Lorado 
Taylor,  Gordon  J. 

Victor,  Rae 

Ward,  John  Albert 

Directing  Staff 
C.  D.  Brooks 
W.  Bedford  Moore 
W.  C.  McCroskey 
JuHa  E.  Ashburn 
Helen  B.  Yenney 
A.  E.  Whitney 
Wells,  Smith 
E.  A.  Brown 
Elizabeth  C.  Hamilton 


Lecturers — Les  Foyers  du  Sold  at 
Horatio  E.  Smith — Director  Greene,  N.  L. 


Borgerhof,  J.  L. 
Blanpied,  D.  R. 
Brandon,  E.  E. 

Cole,  R.  J. 
Coleman,  A. 

Cranberry,  J.  C. 


Anderson,  Lawrence  R. 
Armstrong,  Orland  K. 

Balmond,  Charles 
Bumham,  Charles 


Hart,  C.  R. 

Lingle,  T.  W. 

Merrill,  T.  C. 
Muyskens,  J.  H. 

Williams,  H.  C. 


Song  Leaders 


Carroll,  Hope 
Clarke,  Kenneth 
Cushman,  Lewis  N. 

DeMach,  L.  C. 


256 


ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 
Song  Leaders — Continued 


Echols,  H.  O. 
Eis,  Florence 

Foulke,  Eugene  H. 

Gleason,  C.  G. 
Good,  Robert 
Grey,  Ira  M. 

Hall,  Orrington  C. 
Havens,  Edward 
Hawkins,  Stanley 
Hunn,  Jessie  M. 
Hedger,  J.  A. 

Jones,  W.  H. 

Keller,  Herman 
Kinney,  Miller  E. 
Kirck,  C.  M. 


Lamb,  C.  F. 
Lewton,  J.  E. 
Likes,  P.  H. 

McMichael,  J.  W. 
Maier,  Guy  S. 

Naftzger,  Earle 
Nelson,  John  L. 
Newhall,  J.  L. 

Strong,  Jervis  A. 

Thayer,  W.  A. 

Vincent,  Wallace  D. 

Watson,  Ed.  A. 
Winslow,  H.  E. 


Recruited  Soldiers 


Addleman,  Raymond  W. 
Allen,  James  E. 
Angelotta,  Albert 
Atchley,  Hooper 

Bigelow,  Bryant 
Bitzer,  Thos.  F. 
Budd,  Wm.  H. 
Bull,  Walter 

Coe,  Sterling 
Collins,  Monte 
Crider,  John 
Currier,  Harold 

Dakin,  Edwin  F. 
Dottore,  Chas.  A. 
Demming,  Robert 

East,  Edwin  S. 

Gallagher,  Jack 
Glover,  Wendall 


Goff,  Guy  B. 
Gott,  Thos. 
Grupey,  Paul 

Hall,  George 
Hall,  Howard  R. 
Hammersla,  W.  S. 
Hamp,  Chas.  W. 
Hauslieb,  W.  R. 
Hicks,  LaVelle  E. 
Hicks,  Ray 
Horn,  Sylvester 

Kilpatrick,  Elmer 
Knoff,  Aubrey 
Knoff,  Harry 

Ladd,  Schuyler 
Lane-Hefferman,  Jack 
Leary,  Nolan 
LeClerq,  J.  C. 
Levy,  Russell 


Mitchell,  Albert 
McCusker,  Stanley 

Nushaw,  A.  K. 

Orr,  Victor  M. 
Oswald,  John  G. 

Parmelee,  Fred  M. 
Paulsen,  Arvid 
Peters,  Newton 

Reed,  Carl 


APPENDIX 

Recruited  Soldiers — Continued 
Russell,  Samuel 


257 


Scotty,  Jack 
Silvemail,  Clark 
Sorg,  Paul 
Swain,  W.  C. 

Tumbull,  H.  B. 

Ward,  Jack 
Wysong,  H.  R. 

Zapp,  Albert 


Stock  Companies 


Beune  Stock  Company 
Bourges  Stock  Company 
Brest  Stock  Company 
Golden  Players 
James  Forbes  Stock  Company 
Le  Mans  Stock  Company 


Tours  Stock  Company 


Little  Theatre  Players 

(Gievres) 
Little  Theatre  Stock  Company 

(Coblenz) 
Lone  Star  Stock  Company 
Silvemail  Company 


Units 


A  Little  Cheer  from  Home 

All  American  Four 

American  Players  ^ 

Bulley  Party 

Bumham  Party 

Caveny  Company 

Clipper,  Comedy 

Comedy  Cut-Ups 

Cressy  and  Dayne 

Draper  Party 

Electric  Sparks 

Fifth  Avenue  Follies 

Four  in  a  Ford 

Four  Willing  Warblers 

Gloom  Chasers 

Gould  Party 

Hearon  Sisters  Concert  Party 

Hixon  Party 


Home  Folks 
Horisberg  Party 
Hunting  and  Frances 
Jazzophiends 
Just  Girls 
Khaki  Trio 
Kirk  and  Wyatt 
Konecny  Concert  Party 
Liberty  Belles 
Liberty  Show 
Little  Bit  of  Everything 
Live  Wires 
Luckey  Trio 
McFarland  Sisters 
Manhattan  Four 
Man  Who  Grows 
Margaret  Wilson  Party 
Mayo  Shock  Troupe 


258  ENTERTAINING  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

Units — Continued 

Merry  Mary  Anns  Some  Pep 

Mills  Party  Songs  and  Skits 

Musical  Foursome  vSongs  N' Everything 

Musical  Maids  Souvaines  Party 

N*Everything  Strollers 

Playlet  Players  Three  M.  Company 

Rainbow  Quartette  Those  Three  Girls 

Ramblers  Uncle  Sam  Quintette 

Scrap  Iron  Jazz  Band  Vardon  and  Perry 

Shamrock  Five  Vaudeville  Four 

Some  Home  Folks  Warwick  Unit 

Y's  Four 


Professional  Entertainers 

The  records  of  the  New  York  office  show  that  a  total  of  828 
entertainers  were  sent  overseas,  divided  as  follows:  Overseas 
Theatre  League  180  men  and  274  women,  and  as  regular  "Y" 
entertainers  87  men  and  287  women.  In  comparing  these  figures 
with  the  list  of  names  given,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
personnel  in  France  was  changed  somewhat  owing  to  recruiting 
from  the  Army  and  other  branches  of  service.  It  is  estimated 
that  it  would  take  one  person  325  years  to  cover  the  same  period 
of  service  as  did  those  that  went  overseas. 

Where  the  entertainers  employ  stage  names,  these  have  gen- 
erally been  used  in  the  list. 

The  number  of  entertainers  from  the  various  states  is  as  fol- 
lows; Alabama  3,  Arizona  2,  Arkansas  4,  California  31,  Colorado  6, 
Connecticut  11,  Delaware  2,  Florida  2,  Georgia  11,  Idaho  0, 
Illinois  61,  Indiana  16,  Iowa  12,  Kansas  16,  Kentucky  14,  Lou- 
isiana 4,  Maine  7,  Maryland  12,  Massachusetts  56,  Michigan  28, 
Minnesota  7,  Mississippi  3,  Missouri  23,  Montana  1,  Nebraska  6, 
Nevada  0,  New  Jersey  21,  New  Hampshire  3,  New  York  228, 
New  Mexico  1,  North  Carolina  1,  South  Carolina  2,  North  Da- 
kota 2,  South  Dakota  3,  Ohio  45,  Oklahoma  6,  Oregon  8,  Penn- 
sylvania 63,  Rhode  Island  7,  Tennessee  9,  Texas  11,  Utah  3, 


APPENDIX  259 

Vermont  3,  Virginia  2,  Washington  5,  West  Virginia  1,  Wiscon- 
sin 10,  Wyoming  0,  District  of  Columbia  6,  and  from  outside 
the  United  States  Norway  1,  Italy  2,  Ireland  2,  Scotland  2, 
Russia  3,  Panama  1,  Canada  15,  Roumania  2,  Holland  2,  P'rance  1, 
England  10,  Bavaria  1,  China  1,  Bohemia  1,  Belgium  1,  Swit- 
zerland 1,  Russian  Poland  1,  Cuba  1,  Sweden  1,  Denmark  1. 
This  table  indicates  the  division  of  talent  as  relates  to  their  age: 


Age 

No. 

Age 

No. 

Age 

No. 

18 

1 

34 

24 

50 

10 

19 

3 

35 

30 

51 

6 

20 

5 

36 

29 

52 

6 

21 

1 

37 

37 

53 

3 

22 

5 

38 

30 

54 

7 

23 

23 

39 

35 

55 

4 

24 

26 

40 

22 

56 

5 

25 

75 

41 

13 

57 

1 

26 

44 

42 

14 

65 

1 

27 

49 

43 

10 

28 

55 

44 

15 

29 

39 

45 

23 

30 

40 

46 

18 

31 

28 

47 

9 

32 

36 

48 

11 

33 

30 

49 

2 

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